Explore Catherine Eddowes’ life, from Wolverhampton roots to Whitechapel victim, possibly revealing Jack the Ripper’s identity.
As a teen, Catherine worked with tinplate and lived with her aunt. She soon lost her job because people said she stole something.
Catherine met Thomas Conway, and they had three kids together. It’s possible they never married, but she had “TC” tattooed on her.
The family moved to London in 1868. Catherine drank a lot, which caused problems. She left Thomas around 1880 and then dated John Kelly.
Catherine cleaned and sewed for money. She sometimes worked as a prostitute to help her pay rent daily.
She was last seen on September 30, 1888, speaking with a man who had a fair moustache. People think he might be Jack the Ripper.
Jack the Ripper terrorized London, killing and mutilating at least five women. Elizabeth Stride died earlier that night.
The killer was likely interrupted and needed another victim to satisfy his urge. Catherine unfortunately became that victim.
A policeman found her body early in the morning. Her neck was cut badly, and her stomach was slashed. Her left kidney was taken.
A kidney piece arrived later with a letter. The letter claimed it was from Catherine, and the writer said he ate the other half.
Jack the Ripper’s identity remains unknown. A shawl from Catherine’s murder offers a clue, as DNA from a relative was on it.
The stains on the shawl were tested, and scientists believe it was mostly blood. Some possibly was semen too.
Russell Edwards bought the shawl in 2007. He claims the DNA matched Aaron Kosminski, a Polish immigrant who worked as a barber.
Edwards wrote about this in his book. Police suspected Kosminski back then. Reports showed he hated women, especially prostitutes, and he also seemed very homicidal.
Aaron Kosminski was born in 1865 and was 22 or 23 during the murders. He never got arrested and died in an asylum in 1919. Jack had five known victims.
Some think he killed at least eleven. Catherine’s relative wants the case solved. An inquest could name the true killer, which would mean a lot to her family.