A descendant of one of Victims of Jack the Ripper demanded a new investigation into one of history’s most notorious serial killers, after DNA evidence suggested the murderer was a Polish barber.
The true identity of Jack the Ripper, whose grisly murders terrorized the dark slums of Whitechapel, east London in 1888, has remained a mystery ever since.
There have been dozens of suspects, from royalty and prime ministers to bootmakers.
After extract DNA from a shawl recovered from the scene of one of the murders, Jack the Ripper detective Russell Edwards claimed in 2014 that the murderer was Aaron Kosminskian emigrant from Poland, who worked as a barber.
The story goes that the shawl came from the scene of the murder of the Ripper’s fourth victim, Catherine Eddowes, on September 30, 1888.
At Edwards’ request, Dr Jari Louhelainen, a lecturer at Liverpool John Moores University, isolated seven small segments of DNA from bloodstains on the shawl.
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They were compared to the DNA of Karen Miller, a direct descendant of Eddowes, confirming that her blood was on the shawl.
“When tested, the first result showed a 99.2% match. Since DNA has two complementary strands, we went ahead and tested the other strand of DNA, which is a 100% perfect match,” Louhelainen said. the Liverpool Echo newspaper.
DNA from the semen stains on the clothing was linked to a descendant of Kosminski.
Edwards called for an investigation into the unsolved murder, saying DNA evidence warranted it.
Miller supported the appeal in a interview with the Daily Mail published Monday.
“The name Jack the Ripper has become a sensation. He went down in history under the name of this famous person,” she told the newspaper. “People have forgotten the victims, who did not get justice at the time. We now need this investigation to legally name the killer.
Miller added: “Having the real legally named person in court who can review all the evidence would be a form of justice for the victims. »
Kosminski’s descendants also supported the investigation, the Daily Mail reported. According to the newspaper, Kosminski’s great-great-niece, Amanda Poulos, said: “I’m more than happy to finally establish what really happened.” »
Some have questioned Edwards’ findings.
The research has not been published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, meaning the claims cannot be independently verified or the methodology examined.
By law, it is up to the attorney general to approve a new investigation.
Two years ago, then-Attorney General Michael Ellis denied the request, saying there was not enough new evidence.
Miller said Monday that now is the time to reopen the case.
“It would mean a lot to me, to my family and to a lot of people if this crime is finally solved,” she added.
Kosminski was born in Klodawa, central Poland, on September 11, 1865.
His family fled Russian anti-Jewish pogroms and emigrated to east London in the early 1880s. He lived near the scene of the murder.
Some reports say he was taken away by police to be identified by a witness who had seen him with one of the victims.
Although a positive identification was made, the witness refused to testify for the prosecution, meaning police had no choice but to release Kosminski.
He entered a workhouse in 1889, where he was described upon admission as “destitute”. He was released later that year, but soon found himself in a mental asylum.
He died of gangrene in an asylum on 24 March 1919 and was buried three days later in East Ham Cemetery, east London.
As CBS News previously reportedformer FBI agent John Douglas called the killings “lust killings,” meaning the killer attacked his victims’ genitals. For Douglas, it was a way of realizing his fantasy of domination, cruelty and mutilation of women.