9781422273401

Technological and scientific developments through the 20th century continued to improve the techniques used by, and the tools available to, investigators. Today, computers and other advanced technologies assist investigators faced with a crime to solve, often with greater accuracy and speed.

Jack the Ripper

During the last days of summer in 1888, London’s Whitechapel district was terrorized by multiple murders committed by a perpetrator known to police and the public as “Jack the Ripper.” The murders of five women occurred in just over a month’s time, with all the victims found within a mile of each other. Several organs had been removed from the bodies. The mutilated state of the women’s bodies all showed a distinct, methodical manner of killing that indicated the perpetrator possessed an advanced knowledge of human anatomy. Jack the Ripper sent letters to the detectives of the London Metropolitan Police Service (more commonly known as Scotland Yard), which contained taunts about his murderous activities and hinted at future attacks and murders. Investigators attempted to discover the identity of the killer, using several relatively new forensic techniques such as crime scene photography. The investigation also marked the first attempt at criminal profiling. Various theories pegged the perpetrator as anyone from a famous Victorian-era painter to the grandson of Queen Victoria. However, despite multiple attempts and claims of substantial evidence, Scotland Yard never succeeded in identifying Jack the Ripper. When the murders suddenly stopped in the fall of 1888, the mystery remained unsolved and prompted continued curiosity and questions from the citizens of London for decades. The case continues to spark interest around the world today, resulting in books, movies, television shows, and historical tours. But misinformation, false testimony, and the lack of definitive evidence, coupled with strict regulations followed by Scotland Yard, still prevent the solution to the Jack the Ripper murder case.

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Crime Scene