August 31, 1888 -Jack the Ripper The first victim of Jack the Ripper, "Mary Ann Nichols" a prostitute from London's East End, was found mutilated and murdered in London's East End close to Whitechapel Rd. Because of this and other murders in the area, the police file was called "the Whitechapel Murders." Jack the Ripper is thought to have murdered 11 prostitutes from 1885 to 1891 but as he was never caught, it is possible some of the murders were committed by others. "Mary Ann Nichols" and four others were definitely identified as the work of a single serial killer. "Attacks ascribed to Jack the Ripper typically involved female prostitutes who lived and worked in the slums of the East End of London. Their throats were cut prior to abdominal mutilations. The removal of internal organs from at least three of the victims led to proposals that their killer had some anatomical or surgical knowledge. Rumors that the murders were connected intensi...