THE VICTIMS OF JACK THE RIPPER

Since Jack the Ripper was never caught it is not really possible to say for certain how many victims he actually had.

The Whitechapel Murders file, which covers the Ripper's killing spree, actually includes eleven murders, covering a period from 1888 to 1892.

In addition there were several earlier attacks on women in the area in early 1888 that might have been the early work of Jack the Ripper. Although these crimes are not dealt with in the article there is a dedicated section that deals with the possible early victims of Jack the Ripper.

The first name to appear on the file is that of Emma Smith who was assaulted by a gang in April 1888 and, although she survived the initial attack, she later died from her injuries. Although Emma was a Whitechapel murder victim she almost certainly wasn't a victim of Jack the Ripper , so her story is not covered on this page, although a section of the site does tell the full story of the attack on Emma Smith.

The next name is that of Martha Tabram who was murdered in the early hours of 7th August 1888. There is some debate over whether or not she was, in fact, the first victim of Jack the Ripper. Some say she was and some say she wasn't.

The first definite victim of the killer who became known as Jack the Ripper was Mary Nichols, who was murdered on 31st August 1888. She is the first of what are referred to as the five 'canonical' victims who died between August 31st and November 9th 1888. These five women - Mary Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes and Mary Kelly - are all believed to have been murdered by the same man.

So our Jack the Ripper victims page begins with Martha Tabram and ends with Mary Kelly.

MARTHA TABRAM

August 7th 1888

The body of Martha Tabram was discovered at 5am on the first floor landing of George Yard Buildings. There is much debate over whether she was in fact the first victim of Jack the Ripper. Read More...

MARY NICHOLS

August 31st 1888

The body of Mary Nichols was found at around 3.40am in a gateway in Buck's Row, Whitechapel, by a carter named Charles Cross. She is generally believed to have been the first of Jack the Ripper's so-called 'canonical' five victims. Read More..

ANNIE CHAPMAN

8th September 1888

John Davis found the body of Annie Chapman in the backyard of number 29 Hanbury Street at 6am. She had been horrifically mutilated and the killer had made off with her womb. With her death the unease that had been brewing in the area over the previous two murders gave way to outright panic. Read More..

ELIZABETH STRIDE

30th September 1888

After an absence of three weeks Jack the Ripper returned and murdered two victims in less than an hour. The first victim was Elizabeth Stride whose body was found at 1am in Dutfield's Yard off Berner Street. Read More..

CATHERINE EDDOWES

30th September 1888

Just forty-five minutes after the body of Elizabeth Stride had been discovered, the body of a second prostitute, Catherine Eddowes, was found in Mitre Square in the City of London. Read More..

MARY KELLY

9th November 1888

The whole of October passed with no further murders and people began to wonder if the killing spree had ended. Then, on 9th November 1888, the body of Mary Kelly was found in her room in Miller's Court, off Dorset Street. Read More..