5 Alternate Jack The Ripper Theories That You've Probably Never Heard Of

The tale of Jack the ripper has spawned hundreds of theories and millions of suspects baffling police officers and the general public for years. So here are 5 more alternate theories on the ripper case that will have your head scratching for weeks.

The batty street lodger

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The first appearance of the Batty Street Lodger story appears in a newspaper article reported in late 1888 around the time of the murders. A house in East London was allegedly being watched with great interest by the police with reports of a male lodger that had gone missing. The landlady of this particular gentleman had made a statement saying that her lodger had returned home one early morning and woke her up to say he was going away for a while. He then asked her if she could wash a shirt for him which she later discovered was stained with blood. Roused with suspicion she went straight to the police. The lodger quickly scarpered and was never formally identified however over recent years he has been connected with possible ripper suspect, quack doctor- Francis Tumblety.

Did Mary Jane Kelly really die?

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Mary Jane Kelly is considered by many to be the fifth and final victim. She was so badly disfigured that it was said that the Ripper had finally reached the end of his madness and had unleashed a frenzied attack before disappearing into the night forever. However, due to the overwhelming abuse of her injuries the authorities found it incredibly difficult to identify her partly because her face had been sliced and her ears cut off. Kelly had been living at 13 Millers court an offbeat slum on the notorious Dorset Street once named the most dangerous street in London. It was here where the murder had taken place and here where the authorities had come to the conclusion that the mangled body laying before them was indeed Kelly. However neighbor and casual acquaintance Caroline Maxwell states she saw Kelly on the morning after the murder looking a little worse for wear. Apparently Kelly was hungover and was throwing up in the gutter on the corner of Dorset Street. Mrs Maxwell asked for her well-being and suggested she have a pint of ale to feel better. Caroline Maxwell was a respectable lady and had no reason to lie unlike previous witnesses who were enjoying the limelight and hysteria the ripper murders had brought. Another story suggests that Kelly returned to her lodgings early that morning and found the gruesome body of her friend who had been staying with her, seizing her chance to escape prostitution and a violent relationship with Joseph Barnett (a later ripper suspect) she ran away and changed identity for a new life elsewhere.

Did the police cover it all up?

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In May 2011 the Metropolitan police won a legal battle to keep files detailing the investigation of the ripper case a secret. The reason was to maintain confidentially for Victorian informants. The documents were said to include four new suspects which detail over 36,000 entries between 1888 and 1912. With so much effort put into keeping these files a secret it makes you wonder if over a hundred year old informants really is the main reason to keep these files a secret or is it something closer to home that could never be broadcast in the public eye. Anyone interested in the ripper killings will know some of the ludicrous suspects that have been tipped as being the ripper, one of which including Queen Victoria’s nephew, Prince Albert. We could come to the conclusion that the main reason for the police to keep such files under lock and key may be something to do with a great royal cover up............

Did Jack use the newly built underground tunnels to escape?

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There have been thousands of theories on how Jack the ripper made his infamous escapes, everything from paranormal activity to blending into the crowd however a new idea has newly arisen in that Jack used the newly built tunnels to escape capture and disappear into thin air. If we are to look at the times the first five victims were killed we can see that all five were murdered after midnight therefore making the tunnels empty and unguarded. This would certainly make sense if we look at the murder scene of first victim Mary Ann Nichols which is only a 5 minute walk from Whitechapel station still standing today.

Did Jack the ripper even exist at all?

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In October 2013 ex murder squad detective Trevor Marriott claimed that the notorious serial killer jack the ripper never existed at all. Marriot claims that a German merchant sailor may have committed the crimes although he wasn’t solely responsible and that many other criminals and deviants at the time all had a finger in the pie. He goes on to say that the small minority of suspects who have been regarded as prime suspects actually have no steady links or any direct connections to any of the murders. In fact, he states that most theories associated with the ripper are just unsubstantiated theories put forward by authors and television documentary makers.

Sadly the truth is we may never find out who committed these crimes or if any of these theories are the truth. However we can can only hope that one day someone or something will have the answer but until then we will just have to sit and wait for it to appear.