Jack the Ripper's Diary?
Just when you think you know who did it...
Just when I think I have made up my mind about who Jack the Ripper was, a new theory comes along that has me not shaking my head, but seriously questioning everything I thought I knew about this man.
Dwight and I were totally taken aback by a documentary we watched last Sunday night on Amazon Prime. The title was Jack the Ripper, and it is a documentary that painstakingly chronicles the research of a diary reputed to have been written by the notorious killer himself: James Maybrick. The documentary interviews multiple experts who are convinced that the killer wrote the diary, as it notes details that only Jack would have known, and all of the cross references he adds to the daily entries have been confirmed. The last article I found on this is from 2020, and the general consensus is that the journal is authentic.
We sat there with our jaws agape, wondering how on earth we could have missed this? Dwight and I have been fascinated with this unsolved (we thought) case for decades. The diary parallels Maybrick’s personal life and how the unraveling of his marriage is the direct cause of his mental breakdown which led to the horrific murders of women who could not fight back— both physically and socially—as society shunned them. We know our friend, Jeff Mudgett, still holds to the belief that his ancestor, H.H. Holmes, was Jack the Ripper, so we reached out to him for comment. We have not heard back from him yet, but we will definitely update this entry when we receive a reply from him.
*Critically Missing*
This is just in from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children:
13 year-old Rylie Secrest went missing from her home in Roosevelt, Utah on March 8. Police in Utah believe the teenager may have left the state with an unknown adult male and as she has not run away from home before, authorities believe she may be in great danger. Rumor has it that the two are traveling down to Florida, so I am including this as a possible local case. Rylie is 5’3” and she weighs 125 lbs. She has red hair and hazel eyes. If you saw anything unusual in her hometown area, or have any tips, please contact 1-800-THE-LOST, (1-800-843-5678).
*UPDATE ON THIS*
Rylie was found safe in Wyoming with a 25 year-old man she met on the Oculus VR Facebook. They did not come anywhere near Florida. Officials say this is the first incident involving the Oculus technology in the nation. This is yet another reason parents need to know what is going on with their teens. You are not a bad or invasive parent when you demand to know who your teen is interacting with online. It is your job to know what is going on!
Peter Bergmann: The Man Who Never Existed
County Sligo in Ireland has its own mysterious case of what in the world happened cases, and this one caught my eye. Check it out and let me know what you think in the comments below!
Ongoing Local Florida Case This Week:
A body believed to be that of a missing Florida woman was found in the septic tank of her home. The handyman she hired has been charged with her murder, officials announced over the weekend.
Cynthia Cole, 57, was last seen Feb. 24 at the Jammin’ Jensen event in downtown Jensen Beach, according to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office.
A body believed to be hers was found inside the septic tank of her Jensen Beach home late Friday evening into Saturday morning by Martin County sheriff’s detectives, the agency said in a news release.
Authorities excavated Cole’s backyard for hours and found the body “submerged in the contents of the tank about four feet underground,” according to the release.
Keoki Hilo Demich, 34, a handyman who worked for Cole, was located by detectives shortly afterward and arrested on a charge of second-degree murder.
Martin County Sheriff William Snyder told NBC News affiliate WPTV of West Palm Beach that investigators found Cole’s car on Friday within walking distance from Demich’s home. Recovered surveillance footage also showed him walking away from Cole’s car the night she vanished.
When detectives looked at Cole’s home over the weekend, one of them “happened to look down and noticed the cover to the septic tank … didn’t look right," prompting the search into the tank, the sheriff said.
Positive identification of the body by the medical examiner’s office is “expected shortly” but authorities "have every reason to believe it is that of Ms. Cole." More details of the case remain under investigation, the sheriff's office said.
Demich remains in custody, with his first court appearance slated for Monday, the sheriff's office told NBC News. The autopsy is also scheduled for Monday, March 14th. I’ll update with current news as soon as I get it.
Until next time, stay safe and never stop investigating!
Rebecca