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.
POSSIBLE EARLY VICTIMS
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.
FIRST WHITECHAPEL MURDER VICTIM
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.
MARTHA TABRAM - THE POSSIBLE FIRST VICTIM
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.
MARY NICHOLS JACK THE RIPPER'S FIRST VICTIM
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 often referred to as the five "canonical" victims, all of whom were murdered between August 31st and November 9th 1888.
These canonical five victims were Mary Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes and Mary Kelly - are all believed to have been murdered by the same man.
However, on this page we will cast our net wider and look at all the actual Whitechapel Murders.
LIST OF THE WHITECHAPEL MURDERS VICTIMS
MARTHA TABRAM
Murdered - 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.
MARY NICHOLS
Murdered August 31st 1888
The body of Mary Nichols was found at around 3.40am in a gateway in Buck's Row, Whitechapel.
She is generally believed to have been the first of Jack the Ripper's so-called "canonical" five victims.
ANNIE CHAPMAN
Murdered 8th September 1888
The body of Annie Chapman, the second definite Jack the Ripper victim, was found in the backyard of number 29 Hanbury Street at 6am.
She had been horrifically mutilated and the killer had made off with her womb.
ELIZABETH STRIDE
Murdered 30th September 1888
The body of Elizabeth Stride was found at 1am in Dutfield's Yard, off Berner Street.
The fact that her throat had been cut, but the rest of her body had not been touched, led to speculation that her killer had been interrupted.
CATHERINE EDDOWES
Murdered - 30th September 1888
The body of Catherine Eddowes, was found in Mitre Square in the City of London at 1.45am.
This time the savagery had increased with the killer targeting his victims face and going off with her uterus and her left kidney.
MARY KELLY
Murdered 9th November 1888
The body of Mary Kelly was found in her room in Miller's Court, off Dorset Street, at 10.45am.
She had been virtually skinned to the bone. Many experts believe that she was Jack the Ripper's final victim.
ALICE MCKENZIE
Murdered 17th July 1889
In July 1888 Police Constable Walter Andrews discovered the body of prostitute Alice McKenzie in a dark thoroughfare of Whitechapel called Castle Alley.
The discovery prompted speculation that Jack the Ripper had returned.
FRANCES COLES
Murdered 13th February 1891
The body of Frances Coles was found beneath a dark railway arch in Swallow Gardens.
A few days later the police charged a sailor named James Thomas Sadler with her murder leading to speculation that Jack the Ripper had been caught.