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==Victims==
==Victims==
<p style="line-height:22.399999618530273px;font-family:Georgia,'TimesNewRoman',Times,serif;">Nobody knows for sure how many women were murdered by Jack the Ripper.  It is generally accepted that he killed at least three women, most likely five, and possibly as many as seven or eight; but, as the killer was never caught, it’s likely we’ll never know the true number.  However, due to contemporary autopsy reports and inquest transcripts, we can take a look at what little evidence has survived and make some educated guesses on which of the Whitechapel murders were most likely committed by the same hand, and which were unrelated to the serial killer known as Jack the Ripper (the Jack the Ripper murders only make up a part of the larger official police file known as the Whitechapel Murders.  These eleven murders, committed between April 1888 and February 1891, are a series of unsolved murders, all committed within the Whitechapel district.  How many of those eleven murders were committed by the same hand is unknown; even which victims can be attributed to the Ripper is open to debate, and indeed even the police officials at the time weren’t always in agreement).</p>
<p style="line-height:22.399999618530273px;font-family:Georgia,TimesNewRoman,Times,serif;">Nobody knows for sure how many women were murdered by Jack the Ripper.  It is generally accepted that he killed at least three women, most likely five, and possibly as many as seven or eight; but, as the killer was never caught, it’s likely we’ll never know the true number.  However, due to contemporary autopsy reports and inquest transcripts, we can take a look at what little evidence has survived and make some educated guesses on which of the Whitechapel murders were most likely committed by the same hand, and which were unrelated to the serial killer known as Jack the Ripper (the Jack the Ripper murders only make up a part of the larger official police file known as the Whitechapel Murders.  These eleven murders, committed between April 1888 and February 1891, are a series of unsolved murders, all committed within the Whitechapel district.  How many of those eleven murders were committed by the same hand is unknown; even which victims can be attributed to the Ripper is open to debate, and indeed even the police officials at the time weren’t always in agreement).</p>


<p style="line-height:22.399999618530273px;font-family:Georgia,'TimesNewRoman',Times,serif;">Today, five of the Whitechapel murders are generally attributed to Jack the Ripper, and while this number still stands to this day, the debate over how many women were actually killed by the Ripper continues to rage on.  These five women are now known as the canonical five, and while most researchers agree that three were murdered by the same hand, the opinion over whether two of the victims (Liz Stride and Mary Kelly) were victims of Jack the Ripper remain divided and is often hotly debated.</p>
<p style="line-height:22.399999618530273px;font-family:Georgia,TimesNewRoman,Times,serif;">Today, five of the Whitechapel murders are generally attributed to Jack the Ripper, and while this number still stands to this day, the debate over how many women were actually killed by the Ripper continues to rage on.  These five women are now known as the canonical five, and while most researchers agree that three were murdered by the same hand, the opinion over whether two of the victims (Liz Stride and Mary Kelly) were victims of Jack the Ripper remain divided and is often hotly debated.</p>
The canonical five victims killed by Jack the Ripper were female prostitutes. Their names were Mary Ann Nichols (43), Annie Chapman (47?), Elizabeth Stride (44), Catherine Eddowes (46), and Mary Jane Kelly (25?).  They were cut apart into pieces and parts of them taken. All the victims were found dead on the streets, except the last who was found in her boarding room. There might have been more victims of the Ripper.
The canonical five victims killed by Jack the Ripper were female prostitutes. Their names were Mary Ann Nichols (43), Annie Chapman (47?), Elizabeth Stride (44), Catherine Eddowes (46), and Mary Jane Kelly (25?).  They were cut apart into pieces and parts of them taken. All the victims were found dead on the streets, except the last who was found in her boarding room. There might have been more victims of the Ripper.


==Suspects==
==Suspects==
Nobody knows the identity of Jack the Ripper.  And after more than one hundred and twenty years, it’s safe to say that we’ll almost certainly never know the identity of the infamous serial killer. Still, that hasn’t stopped police, authors and armchair detectives alike naming literally hundreds of suspects over the years. Many have believed that he was a doctor, because he had knowledge of the human body and the organs contained. It's also possible that he was a butcher.
Nobody knows the identity of Jack the Ripper.  And after more than one hundred and twenty years, it’s safe to say that we’ll almost certainly never know the identity of the infamous serial killer. Still, that hasn’t stopped police, authors and armchair detectives alike naming literally hundreds of suspects over the years. Many have believed that he was a doctor, because he had knowledge of the human body and the organs contained. It's also possible that he was a butcher. Several theorists suggest that "Jack the Ripper" was actually more than one killer. Stephen Knight argued that the murders were a conspiracy involving multiple miscreants, whereas others have proposed that each murder was committed by unconnected individuals acting independently of each other.
 
The police believed the Ripper was a local Whitechapel resident. His apparent ability to disappear immediately after the killings suggests an intimate knowledge of the Whitechapel neighbourhood, including its back alleys and hiding places. However, the population of Whitechapel was transient, impoverished and often used aliases. The lives of many of its residents were little recorded. The Ripper's true identity will almost certainly never be known.


==In Popular Culture==
==In Popular Culture==