I was robbed on February 15th, 2025. Excited by the discovery and revelation, I was equally disappointed that one of my favorite mysteries had apparently been solved. “Historian Russell Edwards says he has identified Jack the Ripper as Aaron Kosminski through a DNA match of a shawl found at the scene of one of his murders.” Like many earlier theories, this one has also been questioned.

In 2002, author Patricia Cornwell released a nonfiction book presenting her theory that artist Walter Sickert was the Ripper. She based her theory on extensive research. Additionally, Cornwell had a team of forensic scientists that found a series of mitochondrial DNA on the envelope and stamp supposedly from the Ripper that matched Sickert. Most of these letters to the police and news agencies were likely hoaxes. I never agreed with her theory. It was, after all, one woman’s theory. Many people had theories. So, I was able to put Cornwell’s hypothesis aside.

I’ve been fascinated by Jack the Ripper since I first heard about him. I was the weird kid who stayed up late reading Edgar Allan Poe and Sherlock Holmes at seven years old. When I was even younger, I also managed to stay up late watching crime noir and horror movies. So, it’s only natural old Jacky would appear on my radar.

But, I digress. Throughout the decades, Jack was a sweet morsel of dark history that I could muse over now and then. As an adult, I would read about the victims and the suspects. I enveloped myself in London’s history; the living conditions, various personalities of the time, and especially the atmosphere in the streets of Whitechapel.

When a Jack the Ripper conference came to town, I went in hopes of more clues. It was exciting. A guest speaker and Ripperologist from London brought photos of the area and pictures of potential “Jacks”. There were suspects I’d never heard of and more women than the five I knew of.

On my first trip to England with my husband and then teenage son, I made it a point to schedule a Jack the Ripper Tour. Months before the trip, I researched the various companies that offered these dark adventures. We arrived in London and spent the first evening sleeping, followed by a late dinner. I’d set the second night aside for the tour. I knew which Underground train to take as well as which stop to exit. It was just after Christmas, and it was cold. We were well bundled against the brisk night air. Although many old buildings were gone, the streets were still there. I snapped photo after photo, reveling in the atmosphere. I was particularly fascinated by Mitre Square and the night of the double event. It had begun to snow lightly as we stood, listening to our guide talk about Catherine Eddowes. Small pockets of fog collected in corners of the square, adding an eerie undertone to the evening. Eddowes murder was in September and this was December. But it was easy to imagine what that warm night was like.

As I grudgingly accept the great mystery of Jack the Ripper has been solved, I occasionally feel a twinge of uncertainty. Perhaps the stain on Eddowes shawl was from an earlier encounter with Aaron Kosminski. Maybe it wasn’t Eddowes shawl, but had been lost by another woman. There are plenty of “maybe’s”. So, MAYBE Saucy Jack’s identity is still unknown and I can continue to juggle my own theories.

Do you think the Ripper has been identified? Do you have a suspect in your mind? Let me know in the comments!