Seed on Silk Scarf – Jack The Ripper’s Identity Finally Revealed?

According to the German translation, Jack the Slasher spread fear and terror in late 1888. His atrocities stunned not only London, but the entire world.

Beastly crimes
Who was responsible for the gruesome murders – almost all of them were prostitutes – could never be determined beyond doubt. The serial killer was extremely cruel: he slit the throats of his victims and brutally mutilated some of them after death, and he removed the organs of three.

In addition to the five victims identified as certain, a total of eleven women were murdered between 1888 and 1891 as part of the so-called ‘Whitechapel murders’.

Since then, there have been many rumors and myths surrounding the “Ripper”. But now this dark chapter in criminal history appears to have finally been solved: new DNA evidence points to a Polish immigrant still named Aaron Kosminski.

DNA traces on a victim’s silk scarf
Investigator Russell Edwards tracked down the serial killer using a scarf from the Ripper’s fourth victim: Catherine Eddowes. His suspicions were confirmed by 2014 at the latest.

Edwards has been studying the serial killer for more than thirty years and bought Eddowe’s scarf at auction. Extensive DNA testing followed.

It turned out that the bloodstains on the scarf could clearly be attributed to a direct descendant of Catherine Eddowes. Even more remarkable was the discovery that DNA traces from the semen matched an offspring of Aaron Kosminski.

“Great misogyny”
This Polish immigrant had already been identified by investigators as a potential suspect because he had a “great misogyny” and “strong murderous tendencies.” But due to lack of sufficient evidence, he was never arrested, even though he was sometimes considered a prime suspect.

Contact with Freemasons
Kosminski, who was likely abused by his stepfather as a child, was considered unstable and may also have had contact with the Freemasons. The reason: the brutal murders were partly reminiscent of the rituals of the Freemasons. These could also have protected Aaron from arrest. The inscription “The Juwes are the men who cannot be blamed” was also found near a crime scene. The spelling “Juwes” only occurs in Freemason texts.

The main suspect never filed a report
Kosminski avoided charges – and arrest. In 1890 he suffered a serious nervous breakdown, during which he threatened his sister with a knife. He was subsequently admitted to Colney Hatch Lunatic Asylum, where he spent the rest of his life. He died in 1919.