What happened to Aaron Kosminski? Jack the Ripper identity allegedly confirmed by researcher

The mystery around Jack the Ripper’s identity has seemingly been solved after more than a century, as claimed by a researcher, Russell Edwards. The investigator had previously claimed to have found a 100% DNA match linking the unidentified serial killer to Aaron Kosminski.

Kosminski was a Polish-born barber in Whitechapel who was considered a prime suspect in the 1888 murders in the area. In 1891, Kosminski was admitted to Colney Hatch Lunatic Asylum following a suspected schizophrenic episode.

During the suspected breakdown, he reportedly threatened his sister with a knife. 28 years later, in 1919, Aaron Kosminski died in Hertfordshire’s Leavesden Asylum from gangrene and was buried at East Ham Cemetery.

Despite the suspicions, Kosminski was never charged with the murders due to the lack of hard evidence against him. His subsequent removal from public space due to his mental illness was potentially another reason why Kosminski was never prosecuted.

For those unaware, he was born in Poland in 1865 and was the youngest of all his siblings. In the early 1880s, Kosminski supposedly migrated to London with his family, following the rise in anti-semitism in Poland.

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Russel Edwards claimed to have confirmed Jack the Ripper’s identity with the DNA extracted from a victim’s bloodstained shawl

Russel Edwards, who has authored Naming Jack The Ripper, bought a bloodstained shawl from an auction in 2007. The shawl was reportedly found on the body of the victim Catherine Eddowes, who was murdered in September 1888. Furthermore, the century-old cloth apparently had DNA traces.

In his 2014 study, Dr Jari Louhelainen, who Edwards commissioned, extracted DNA evidence from the shawl. The results of his research were favorable, as he told Liverpool ECHO,

“On the testing, the first result showed a 99.2% match. Since the DNA has two complementary strands, we went on and tested the other DNA strand, which gave a perfect 100% match.”

Russell Edwards, who even included the results in his book on Jack the Ripper, spoke to The Sun in 2025, where he said,

“It's very difficult to put into words the elation I felt when I saw the 100 percent DNA match. This brings closure and it's a form of justice for the descendants. He can't be prosecuted because he's dead but this is the closest thing they can do. This man committed atrocities towards their ancestors and we know it's him and we want the courts to say, 'Yes, you're right'."

Russell Edwards claimed to have procured the DNA samples from the descendants of Kosminski’s sister and Eddowes. Karen Miller, who is from Eddowes’s lineage and gave her DNA sample for the tests, spoke to Daily May in January 2025 and said,

“The name Jack the Ripper has become sensationalized. It has gone down in history as this famous character. People have forgotten about the victims, who did not have justice at the time. Now we need this inquest to legally name the killer. Having the real person legally named in a court which can consider all the evidence would be a form of justice for the victims."

Miller also demanded a new inquest,

“We have got the proof, now we need this inquest to legally name the killer. It would mean a lot to me, to my family, to a lot of people to finally have this crime solved.”

After more than 136 years and hundreds of suspects later, the identity of Jack the Ripper has continued to remain a mystery. Jack the Ripper has been linked to at least five murders between August and November 1888. Other than Catherine Eddowes, Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, and Mary Jane Kelly were the other four confirmed murder victims.