Mary Jane Kelly

Who was Mary Jane Kelly?

Mary Jane Kelly, also known as Marie Jeanette Kelly, "Fair Emma", "Ginger" and "Black Mary", is widely believed to be the fifth and final victim of the notorious unidentified serial killer Jack the Ripper, who killed and mutilated prostitutes in the Whitechapel area of London from late August to early November 1888. She was about 25 years old, and living in poverty at the time of her death. Reports of the time estimated her height at 5 feet and 7 inches. Her hair colour is somewhat uncertain as her various nicknames imply.

She has been variously reported as being a blonde or redhead and "Black Mary" suggests a dark brunette. Her reported eye colour was blue. Detective Walter Dew, in his autobiography, claimed to have known Kelly well by sight and described her as "quite attractive" and "a pretty, buxom girl". He said she always wore a clean white apron but never a hat. Sir Melville Macnaghten of the Metropolitan Police Force, who never saw her in the flesh, reported that she was known to have "considerable personal attractions" by the standards of the time.