H.H. Holmes Was Jack The Ripper? Great-Great-Great-Grandson Of Chicago Serial Killer Floats Theory

Was Jack The Ripper H.H. Holmes? Serial Killer's Relative Says He Has Proof

Could two of the most notorious serial killers of the 19th century be the same man?

That's what Jeff Mudgett, the great-great-great-grandson of Chicago murderer H.H. Holmes believes. Mudgett says that writing samples from his notorious ancestor examined by experts suggest that Holmes and Jack the Ripper are, in fact, the same person, the Daily Mail reports.

One handwriting analyst fed the two samples into a computer program that determined there was a 97.95 percent chance the samples are a match, WGN reported. The theory is also presented in Mudgett's book, "Bloodstains."

Holmes, who admitted to killing 27 people in the late 1890s, also apparently had a similar modus operandi to Jack the Ripper. After killing his victims, Holmes would dissect the corpses, selling the skeletons to medical schools, according to the Daily Mail.

Jack the Ripper mutilated the internal organs of his victims, which caused many to believe the killer was surgically trained.

The Chicago Sun Times reports that Holmes allegedly traveled to London in 1888, the year of the Ripper's murders.

Mudgett blasted critics who said his theory is trumped up to sell books. On his website, the author said, "Anyone familiar with writing these days knows there may be a hundred, maybe two, writers making a living these days from what turns out for the majority a hobby. And self-published first timers, well forget it."

Before You Go

"Young L.A. Girl Slain; Body Slashed in Two" ― L.A.'s Daily News

10 Major Crimes That Shocked the Nation (SLIDESHOW)

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