Jack the Ripper identity finally revealed after 100% DNA match, historian claims
Callum Jones
Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/PytyCzech
Jack the Ripper's identify has been determined, according to a historian who has claimed to have uncovered a 100 percent DNA match.
Nearly 150 years ago at this point, Jack caused havoc across the streets of London, and it was confirmed he murdered at least five women in cold blood.
His victims are known as the 'Canonical Five', and consist of Elizabeth Stride, Mary Jane Kelly, Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman and Catherine Eddowes.
But Jack's true identity has long remained a mystery, despite the fact the individual would have died some years ago now.
Advert
To date, there have been 16 different men put forward as potential suspects, ranging from the everyday bloke to even royalty.
Many theories have been given as to why these men could have been the serial killer - ranging from personal connections, to one of the victims to uncovering of diaries and other artefacts, The Jack the Ripper Tour states on their website.
While evidence is scarce, we have long had information about Ripper from what he did to his five confirmed victims.
Historian Russell Edwards plays a key role in this complicated situation, after he bought a shawl owned by Catherine Eddowes and put it through DNA testing.
The blood was a match of one of Eddowes' descendants, and subsequent tests on semen found a distant relative of the man who Edwards has claimed was a distant relative of one of the Ripper suspects, Aaron Kosminski, the Mirror reports.
Jack the Ripper: The Definitive Reveal - the sequel of his original book Naming Jack the Ripper - was the source that made the claims.
“He is no longer just a suspect. We can hold him, finally, to account for his terrible deeds." Edwards wrote.
"My search is over: Aaron Kosminski is Jack the Ripper."
The Daily Mail reports Edwards has since hired a legal team in the hope of an inquest after an 100 percent DNA match.
Meanwhile, descendants of both Eddowes and Kosminski are happy for such a course of action.
The hope is that Kosminski can be legally tied to the murders, which should hopefully bring clarity to the families.
Karen Miller, who is the great-great-great-granddaughter (try not reading that to the tune of Busted's Year 3000) of Eddowes, told the Mail: "The name Jack the Ripper has become sensationalized. It has gone down in history as this famous character.
"What about the real name of the person who did this? Having the real person legally named in a court, which can consider all the evidence, would be a form of justice for the victims. We have got the proof. Now, we need this inquest to legally name the killer."