A long-lost police file on the notorious Victorian serial killer Jack the Ripper has resurfaced after 136 years, thanks to the efforts of the great-grandson of a detective involved in the case.
The newly discovered archive not only includes the missing police file but also features two rare photographs of Michael Ostrog, a Russian immigrant who was once considered a prime suspect in the Ripper murders.
Although Ostrog, a petty thief with a history of incarceration, was initially suspected, further investigation revealed he was in a French prison at the time of the gruesome murders, leading to his exclusion as a suspect.
Among the intriguing contents of the archive is the infamous “Saucy Jack” postcard, purportedly sent to the police to mock their efforts, along with a copy of the “Dear Boss” letter—the first time the name “Jack the Ripper” was mentioned—wherein the killer boasted of his crimes and ominously warned the authorities about his sharp knife.
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The Jack the Ripper case remains one of history’s most enduring mysteries, with the perpetrator never being brought to justice for the murders of at least five women in London’s Whitechapel area in 1888.
The police file, meticulously preserved by Inspector Joseph Henry Helson of the Met Police, is now set to be auctioned off by Helson’s great-grandson through Whitton & Laing Auctioneers of Exeter, Devon.
A spokesperson for Whitton & Laing emphasized the rarity of items directly linked to the Ripper case coming up for sale, highlighting the significance of the discovery. They also noted the disappearance of the original letter and postcard, with the letter eventually being returned in 1988 and currently housed in the National Archives at Kew.
While acknowledging the intrigue surrounding the Ripper case, the auctioneers emphasized the importance of remembering the victims as real individuals and not glorifying the perpetrator as anything other than the monstrous villain he was.
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