In March 2024, the case files kept by Inspector Joseph Henry Helson regarding the notorious serial killer Jack the Ripper were made public for the first time ever. Helson’s great-grandson made the decision to release the case files after the archive was passed down through four generations of his family.
This previously-unseen archive of Jack the Ripper case files includes a number of fascinating pieces, including suspect photographs and a copy of the “Saucy Jack” postcard that the Ripper purportedly sent to the Metropolitan Police to taunt them.
Now, this recently-unearthed trove of Jack the Ripper evidence could shed new light on this historic case.
Who Was Jack The Ripper And What Did He Do?
Public DomainJack the Ripper is one of the most notorious serial killers of all time, but his identity remains unknown to this day.
Jack the Ripper was an unidentified serial killer active in the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. The Ripper is believed to have murdered at least five victims, known as the “canonical five”: Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Jane Kelly. The killer’s modus operandi included slashing the victims’ throats and mutilating their bodies, leading to widespread fear and sensational media coverage.
Despite an extensive investigation by the Metropolitan Police, Jack the Ripper was never caught. The police received numerous letters, some claiming to be from the killer, but these were mostly hoaxes. Meanwhile, the case was plagued by poor communication between police divisions, a lack of forensic techniques, and public pressure, all of which hindered the investigation, leaving the killer uncaught.
Whitton & Laing/BNPSA copy of the “Saucy Jack” postcard included with the archive.
Jack the Ripper’s identity endures as one of the most infamous unsolved mysteries in the history of true crime. The case has inspired countless books, films, and theories, with more than 100 possible suspects named. The Ripper’s identity remains a topic of speculation and fascination more than a century later.
Inside The Newly-Released Jack The Ripper Case Files Made Public After 136 Years
In March 2024, it was reported that the great-grandson of Inspector Joseph Henry Helson would be releasing the archive of files that had been passed down through four generations of his family relating to the Jack the Ripper case. Inspector Helson was one of the investigators who worked on the case after Mary Ann Nichols’ murder, later assisting with the investigation into Annie Chapman’s murder as well.
Among these files were two photographs of Michael Ostrog, an early Jack the Ripper suspect, and the only known copy of the “Saucy Jack” postcard.
Whitton & Laing/BNPSA photograph of early Ripper suspect Michael Ostrog.
Ostrog, a Russian immigrant, fit the typical profile of a Ripper suspect. He spent long periods of his life in mental institutions, had multiple aliases, a long criminal record, and generally fit the physical description of the Ripper as reported by witnesses. However, at the time of the Whitechapel murders, he was in a French prison, effectively confirming that he could not have been Jack the Ripper.
The archive also contains a copy of the “Dear Boss” letter, which marked the first time the name “Jack the Ripper” had been used by the killer. The copy appears to be a clipping from a newspaper at the time, as the media publicized the letter hoping to see if anyone could identify the handwriting. The original letter is held at the National Archives at Kew in London.
Finally, the archive includes a photograph of Mary Ann Nichols’ body in the morgue and reportedly shows her remains at slightly different angles than the image most people might be familiar with.
The Fate Of This New Jack The Ripper Evidence
Whitton & Laird/BNPSA photograph of Joseph Henry Helson as well as his police certification.
Helson’s archive was sold to Whitton & Laing Auctioneers of Exeter with an estimated value of £10,000 ($12,828 USD). At the time, auctioneers said they expected a bidding war for the lot.
“For nearly 140 years the Jack the Ripper murders have held an enduring fascination and items directly connected to the crimes very rarely come up for sale,” a spokesperson said.
“There is also a facsimile copy of both the infamous ‘Dear Boss’ letter and ‘Saucy Jack’ postcard which appears to be cut from the broadside printed in 1888 and used by the police in the hope that someone would recognize the handwriting. The original letter and postcard both disappeared, the letter being returned in 1988 and is now in the National Archives at Kew, but the postcard has never been seen again.”
The auction was set to take place on March 22, 2024, though it is unclear who purchased the archive or what the final sale price was.
At the time, auctioneers also added that “people should not forget that the victims were real people with real stories and we wouldn’t want to think of this murderer as an anti-hero, but for the monstrous villain that he was.”