Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.

Analysis of two famous letters ascribed to Jack the Ripper suggests they were faked by journalists to boost business. It has long been suggested that two notes purported to have been penned by the ...

But a scientific study seemed to shed new light on the mystery, focusing on the 'Dear Boss' letter, in which the name Jack the Ripper appears for the first time, and the 'Saucy Jacky' postcard.

There is also a copy of the “Dear Boss” letter, a note sent to police which was signed off as “Jack the Ripper” – the first time that the name was referenced. In the letter, the murderer ...