Jack the Ripper Unmasked

Summary of Jack the Ripper
By Russell Edwards

Russell Edwards wrote about the mystery of Jack the Ripper. This was one of the greatest murder investigations of all time. However, what made this case even more intriguing was the use of DNA and modern technology that helped solve the 126-year-old secrecy. Aaron Kosminski, a Polish hairdresser, was one of the main suspects when the murders of Whitechapel, London took place. Dr. Jari Louhelainen, an expert in examining genetic evidence form historical crime scenes, had a longing to solve this eerie mystery and dreamed of revealing whom the real killer was. Through using only a 126-year-old shawl, found lying near one of the killer’s victims, Louhelainen was able to determine, with the old DNA that was left on the shawl, who killed all these innocent, young girls. According to his observations, the fingerprints were far too old to test. He decided to use the extraction method on the evidence, and he successfully found left over surviving cells on the shawl. Unfortunately, this was not enough information to track down the true killer. Louhelainen chose to find any of Aaron Kosminski’s family members that shared similar DNA. He used this DNA to see if it matched the living cells left over on the shawl. It was a perfect match! This break through lead to the triumph of unmasking one of the most infamous serial killers of all time. Due to the new, modern technology and advanced DNA tests, this case could be put to rest (Edwards, 2014).

I chose this fascinating article because of its thrilling mystery and how modern science helped to solve this circumstance. The most interesting parts of the article are the differences between solving a crime now opposed to back in the 1880’s. Now scientists have new technology and ways to collect DNA from evidence. Back in the 1880’s, they would just pick out a group of people who seemed suspicious, and announce that the wackiest one was guilty. I find the relationship between science and crime scenes to be very stimulating. This article was extremely detailed and kept me engaged through out the entire piece. Although, what was truly unbelievable was that the scientist took 126-year-old DNA and still answered the question of a lifetime. Who was Jack the Ripper?

References

Edwards, R. (2014, September 6). Jack the Ripper unmasked: How amateur sleuth used DNA breakthrough to identify Britain's most notorious criminal 126 years after string of terrible murders. Daily Mail. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2746321/Jack-Ripper-unmasked-How-amateur-sleuth-used-DNA-breakthrough-identify-Britains-notorious-criminal-126-years-string-terrible-murders.html