A number of women, mostly prostitutes, were killed and grossly mutilated in the late summer and fall of 1888 in a section of London called Whitechapel. The severity of the mutilations was so great that the entire city of London was gripped in terror for the better half of a year, hoping desperately that the most recent murder would be the last. Even worse, the murderer sent taunting letters to the police and local press bragging about his conquests and daring the police to catch him, signing one of them with the name which is now made famous: Jack the Ripper.
The police made several arrests, but no one was ever charged or convicted of the murders. Eventually, the murders ceased and the city of London gradually relaxed in its fear, but the case lived on. People from all walks of life have advanced theories on the identity of the killer, claiming everything from the fact that Jack the Ripper was actually a woman to the theory that it was a band of killers and not just one man. It has become the cornerstone of serial killer lore, and a favorite for novice inve stigators who wish to posit their own theories on the case.