For years I have had a fascination with Jack the Ripper. As many have, I’ve also tried to unravel this murder mystery.

It would seem that every year a new theory comes out naming the killer. Sometimes a previous suspect and sometimes it’s someone new. One thing I think we can all agree on is that we are no closer to a concrete identification than they were in the 1890s.

The Ripper did his dirty deeds in the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. It was more or less a Ghetto and his victims were typically female prostitutes. He would typically slice the victims throat and then make abdominal incisions and remove internal organs. It was said that he/she possessed surgical precision.

Some may not know that Jack was also identified as “The Whitechapel Murderer” and “Leather Apron”. The actual moniker Jack the Ripper was coined in a letter written by someone claiming to be the killer at large. Although, just like many other theories in this mystery, many believed the letter to be a hoax perpetrated by a journalist to sensationalize the murders even more.

From 1888 until 1891 the case was extensively investigated and that was just enough time for the media of the day to turn Jack the Ripper into a legendary character.

In this edition of History Channel’s MysteryQuest some of the most talked about theories are explored.