Jack the Ripper’s ID as Jew is unfounded, say experts

The scientist who identified 19th-century London mass murderer Jack the Ripper as a Polish Jewish immigrant made basic mistakes analyzing the DNA, according to genetic experts.

Amateur British researcher Russell Edwards and Finnish molecular biologist Dr. Jari Louhelainen, who tested a DNA sample found on the shawl of a victim of Jack the Ripper, made an error that led them to identify Aaron Kosminski as the killer, The Independent reported.

Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys, the inventor of genetic fingerprinting, explained the mistake in The Independent.

According to Jefferys, Louhelainen said that the mtDNa sequence found on the shawl featured a global private mutation identified as 314.1C, which has a frequency of 1/290,000. But, he says, the mutation should have been identified as 315.1C, which is shared by over 99 percent of people with European ancestry.

Other scientists interviewed by The Independent shared Jeffrey’s criticisms.

In addition, crime enthusiast Stephen Ryder, writing in casebook.org, said that there was no reason besides “family tradition” to believe that the shawl used in the investigation belonged to victim Catherine Eddowes.

Another problem is that the DNA evidence linking Kosminski to the shawl is mitochondrial DNA, not nuclear DNA. Percentages ranging from 1% to 40% of the population can leave matching mtDNA samples.

“MtDNA is passed down from a mother to her children, and many people can share the same mtDNA signature,” wrote Alan Boyle on NBC News’ website. “The signature linked to Kosminski, T1a1, is a relatively common subtype. Thus, the determination doesn’t mean much unless the signature can be narrowed down to a rarer subtype, or unless additional evidence can be brought to bear (as was the case for identifying the remains of Russia’s Czar Nicholas II and his family).”

In addition, the shawl has been contaminated by other family members handling and wearing it.

Finally, Kosminski does not match eyewitness descriptions of the killer, who reported seeing an older, heavier-set man near the murder scenes. Kosminski, 23, was thin.

The identification of the killer as Kosminski led his descendants to fear the discovery may bring about renewed anti-Semitism.

A female relative of Kosminski’s sister allowed Louhelainen and Edwards to collect a DNA swab from her, but the family had expressed serious concerns that revelation of the serial killer’s identity could harm the Jewish community.

“They are very afraid of anti-Semitism… so they asked to remain anonymous because they still live as Jews and do not want this linked to them,” said Edwards, according to Israel’s Channel 2 news.

Until now, the true identity of Jack the Ripper had been in doubt and there had been a great deal of speculation around the man who viciously murdered five women in 1888. Local authorities had listed Kosminski as a suspect, but did not have enough evidence to convict the barber, who had fled the violent pogroms of Russian-occupied Poland with his family in 1881.

Kosminski spent the end of his life in a number of different mental institutions. He died in 1919, without ever being convicted of murder.

Justin Jalil contributed to this report.