The Whitehall Mystery revolves around a dismembered woman whose remains were found in England in 1888. Some speculate she was a victim of Jack the Ripper, yet authorities could not officially connect her to the case.
Case[]
The woman's head and some limbs were not recovered; the only found pieces were the torso; right arm and shoulder; left leg cut above the knee. Her death date is unknown although it was prior to 11 September 1888, when the right arm and shoulder were found on the muddy shore of the River Thames in Pimlico. The torso was placed in the vault sometime after 29 September 1888, where it was found 2 October 1888. The remaining limbs were found buried on 17 October 1888.
The case is considered as one of the Thames Torso Murders.
Characteristics[]
- Unlikely to have given birth to children.
- Large stature and was well-nourished.
- Healthy heart; organs including right lung, liver, stomach, kidneys, and spleen were normal, but severe pleurisy was observed in the left lung.
- Right arm had been severed by someone with knowledge of human anatomy; a tourniquet was used to stem blood flow, and was removed postmortem.
- Uterus had been removed from the body.
- Dark hair.
- Fair skin.
- Not likely a servant or lower-class citizen.
Clothing[]
- Torso wrapped in cloth, potentially a black petticoat, secured with string.
- Broché satin dress originating from Bradford, England, made from a pattern estimated to be three years old.
Belongings[]
- Newspaper fragment from the Echo dated August 24, and another from an unknown issue of the Chronicle.
Sources[]
- Whitehall Mystery on Wikipedia
- Jack the Ripper on Wikipedia GRAPHIC POSTMORTEM WARNING