BB-015 / Modern
Jack the Ripper
The Act
An unidentified killer murdered at least five women (the "canonical five") in the East End of London between August and November 1888. The victims were mutilated, with organs removed in several cases. The killings produced widespread public terror, media sensationalism, and the first modern serial-killer investigation.
The Response
The Metropolitan Police conducted an extensive investigation that failed to identify the perpetrator. The case generated enormous press coverage, public panic, and lasting cultural myth. It remains unsolved. The episode highlighted class disparities in Victorian policing and the limits of forensic science at the time.