The Springfield Three: Was Graduation Night a Clue to Their Disappearance?

On Sunday, June 7th, 1992, three women—Sherrill Levitt, Suzanne "Suzie" Streeter, and Stacy McCall—vanished from a home in Springfield, Missouri, leaving behind one of America’s most enduring mysteries. Known as "The Springfield Three," their disappearance came just hours after Suzie and Stacy celebrated their high school graduation, a detail that has sparked speculation about whether the timing held deeper significance. The table below outlines their key details:

Name	Age	Gender	Occupation/Status	Last Seen Location	Last Seen Date/Time
Sherrill Levitt NamUS #MP345	47	Female	Hairdresser	Sherrill Levitt’s home at 1717 East Delmar Street, Springfield, MO	Early hours of Sunday, June 7th, 1992
Suzanne "Suzie" Streeter (Sherrill’s daughter) NamUS #MP3233	19	Female	Recent high school graduate, worked at a cinema	Sherrill Levitt’s home at 1717 East Delmar Street, Springfield, MO	Early hours of Sunday, June 7th, 1992
Stacy McCall NamUS #MP350	18	Female	Recent high school graduate	Sherrill Levitt’s home at 1717 East Delmar Street, Springfield, MO	Early hours of Sunday, June 7th, 1992

This article delves into the case, exploring the events of that night and speculating on whether graduation night was more than a coincidence, a theory I propose that aligns with discussions in true crime communities.

A Night of Joy Cut Short

Graduation Festivities

Saturday, June 6th, 1992, marked a milestone for Suzie Streeter, 19, Sherrill Levitt’s daughter, and Stacy McCall, 18, who had both graduated from Kickapoo High School that day. The evening was filled with celebration as the two friends joined classmates at graduation parties. Sherrill, 47, a local hairdresser, stayed home, likely proud of her daughter Suzie’s achievement.

The Disappearance

By 2:00–3:00 a.m. on Sunday, June 7th, 1992, Suzie and Stacy arrived at Sherrill’s home at 1717 East Delmar Street after plans to stay elsewhere fell through. Sherrill’s last known contact was a phone call with a friend around 11:15 p.m. on Saturday, June 6th, 1992. By morning, all three women were gone, their purses, keys, and belongings left untouched in a house showing no signs of a struggle.

The Investigation: A Trail Gone Cold

An Eerie Crime Scene

When friends alerted police later on Sunday, June 7th, 1992, investigators found a clean scene. No forced entry, no blood, no fingerprints—just a broken porch light globe, later deemed unrelated. The family dog was agitated but unharmed, suggesting a swift, controlled abduction. Despite extensive searches and hundreds of tips, no physical evidence has ever conclusively pointed to a suspect.

Theories Without Answers

The case has spawned countless theories: a random predator, a local criminal element, or even a connection to Suzie’s past testimony in a vandalism case. A reported sighting of a green van near the house fueled speculation, but like other leads, it led nowhere. Decades later, the case remains unsolved, with no arrests or solid breakthroughs.

Could Graduation Night Hold the Key?

A Speculative Motive

One intriguing speculation, which I propose, is that the timing of the disappearance—on the night of Suzie and Stacy’s graduation on Saturday, June 6th, 1992—was not just a coincidence. Some true crime enthusiasts on forums like Reddit’s r/UnresolvedMysteries and Websleuths have similarly suggested that graduation, a symbol of triumph and transition, could have triggered a perpetrator with a personal grudge.

Along these lines, to disappear on graduation night might be poetic for someone looking to commit a crime at a perfect time. This theory posits that someone, perhaps feeling sidelined, saw the night as a chance to target the young women at a peak moment of joy. This idea, while unproven, resonates with those who believe the crime was emotionally driven.

The Symbolic Weight of the Night of June 6th-June 7th

High school graduations are laden with meaning. Sociologically, the night, in North American society, could be viewed as a rite of passage: closure of youth, celebration of accomplishment, and the start of adulthood. With a High School diploma in hand, someone can attempt to move on to bigger and better things.

In contrast, for someone harboring resentment, possibly from shared school years, this night could have represented everything they felt denied: acceptance, success, or belonging. For some people, the high school years are socially brutal. From this perspective, the disappearance of The Springfield Three, if it's correct to be understood as an act of some kind of revenge, might connect in some thematic ways to the high school shootings that plagued American society in the years that followed, starting with Columbine about seven years later. These crimes were often committed by high school students among the social outcasts in their schools.

Accordingly, Suzie and Stacy, as recent graduates, might have been symbolic targets for a vindictive person, their abduction a way to disrupt a time that would otherwise be happy for them. This speculation aligns with discussions in true crime podcasts like The Vanished, where listeners have raised ideas about the date’s significance, though no evidence confirms it.

Sherrill’s Role in the Theory

If Suzie and Stacy were the primary targets, Sherrill’s disappearance complicates the narrative. One possibility, discussed in online forums, is that she was an unintended victim—collateral damage as a witness in her own home. The undisturbed scene suggests the perpetrator acted quickly, possibly knowing the house’s layout, which could point to someone familiar with the victims. This idea remains speculative, as no suspect has been linked to such a motive.

Echoes in the True Crime Community

Shared Speculation

The notion that graduation night was significant is a topic in true crime circles, and I’m adding my own perspective to this discussion. On platforms like Reddit and Websleuths, enthusiasts often explore whether the crime felt personal, possibly tied to high school dynamics. I believe it’s important to clarify that the idea of graduation night as a deliberate choice is my own conjecture, though it echoes broader conversations about emotional motives in the case. While these discussions lack hard proof, they highlight a belief among some that the date wasn’t random.

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The Mysterious Disappearance of Lars Mittank: Unraveling the Varna Airport Enigma

The Mysterious Disappearance of Lars Mittank: Unraveling the Varna Airport Enigma

On July 8th, 2014 (Tuesday), Lars Joachim Mittank, a 28-year-old German tourist, vanished under bizarre circumstances near Varna Airport in Bulgaria. He left behind a mystery that continues to captivate and confound.

However, I think this is a case where some sense can be made. My explanation of what I think happened to Lars Mittank will involve an analysis of both known facts regarding the case and some assumptions that I will bring into the mix.

Lars Mittank: German on Vacation in Bulgaria

Lars Mittank was on vacation. I think that is very relevant to this missing persons case, a point that I will return to later.

But what began as a typical vacation with friends at the Golden Sands resort turned into one of the most perplexing missing persons cases of the modern era. This is thanks to enigmatic behavior that was caught on security footage that captured his final known moments. In a way, that makes this case similar to the Elisa Lam mystery from Los Angeles, another strange missing persons case from the 2nd decade of the current century.

Before Lars disappeared, he had been enjoying a week-long trip. This trip took a turn for the worse when he had one of those altercations at the bar involving a sports team debate. Reportedly, a football rivalry in a barroom setting led to a beating, and this beating was bad enough that it left him with a ruptured eardrum.

Personally, I had a major ear clog at one point in my life, one that lasted three weeks. I was advised not to swim and not to hike to a significantly high elevation until it cleared up. This was because diving underwater or going to high elevation causes changes in air pressure.

The ears are a major point in the body where changes in air pressure matter. If Lars had a ruptured eardrum, then flying was off the table for him, surely because the changes in pressure might have made his injury worse.

Advised against flying, he stayed behind as his friends returned to Germany. On Monday, July 7th, he checked into a hotel near the airport, where his behavior took a troubling turn.

He paced the halls, hid in an elevator, and made panic-driven phone calls to his mother. During these calls, he whispered that he felt threatened and unsafe.

His paranoia peaked on the morning of Tuesday, July 8th (the day he was set to fly home). At the airport, he visited a doctor for clearance but fled mid-appointment, abandoning his belongings. CCTV footage shows him sprinting across the grounds, scaling a fence, and disappearing into a field of sunflowers. To this day, he has never been seen again.

Below is the actual security footage capturing Lars Mittank’s final known moments as he flees Varna Airport:

The Infographics Show: Lars Mittank's Case Profiled

On April 9th, 2025, The Infographics Show published a list of haunting disappearances. They include the Lars Mittank disappearance. I embed the video below with starting points and stopping points that isolate only the Mittank disappearance (they covered multiple).

The footage of Lars was widely circulated online. This has made his case a focal point for amateur sleuths and true crime enthusiasts. The theories focus on mental health, medication side effects, foul play, and psychosis.

Despite extensive searches, no trace of him has surfaced. A reported sighting by a truck driver in Germany on an unspecified day in 2019 offered fleeting hope, but it led nowhere. That sighting would be about five years after the disappearance date, making it a really strange tip.

As of April 9th, 2025 (Wednesday), Lars remains missing, his fate a haunting enigma.

Detail	Information
Full Name	Lars Joachim Mittank
Date of Birth	February 9th, 1986
Age at Disappearance	28
Nationality	German
Last Seen	July 8th, 2014 (Tuesday), Varna Airport, Bulgaria
Key Event	Fled the airport on foot, captured on CCTV
Physical Description	Approx. 5'11", slim build, short brown hair, male, caucasian, wearing yellow shirt and blue shorts.

Speculation on What Happened to Lars Mittank

I think the best explanation of what happened to Lars is simply that he suffered brain damage in the beating, which produced erratic behavior. It's known for sure he suffered a ruptured eardrum, so we aren't talking about a minor altercation. Furthermore, brain injuries are thought to cause paranoia, according to some medical experts. This refers to Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), damage from a blow to the head—like the beating Lars endured—which can disrupt brain function and trigger symptoms like paranoia or hallucinations, especially if areas near the ears, such as the temporal lobe, are affected.

Beatings between sports fans can be significant. There was a fan at a Major League Baseball game in 2011, Bryan Stow, who suffered brain damage over one of these affairs. His case has stayed in the news over the years, including an article for 2023. I think this ties in because simple sports-fan fights can still produce massive injuries.

Lars was not thought to be on drugs. Meanwhile, his medications, according to The Infographics Show, were not the kind that would commonly cause mental problems. I think that leaves the probabilities of what caused his behavior squarely having to do with the beating he suffered. The YouTube video does delve into this possibility a little bit.

Why Lars Mittank Has Not Been Found

The next question is one that I think most readers will remain perplexed by. Why has he not been found?

On that matter, I will return to the fact that he was a vacationer. Lars Mittank was not a Bulgarian but a German in Bulgaria.

In general, I think countries are less likely to spend public funds searching for missing tourists than their own nationals. I think this could happen in any country.

For example, I suspect something like this may have deflated the Elisa Lam case a little, as she was a Canadian who went missing in the USA. Furthermore, the case of Duncan MacPherson, a Canadian who went missing in Austria, is a striking example. The evidence basically showed that he was in a small area, but it would be over a decade before he would be found. With the MacPherson case, a cover-up, the exact opposite of an investigation, from the authorities has been suggested.

I don't think the police are overly motivated on most days. I think they will be less motivated looking for someone from a country that's not their own. Any excuse to deprioritize will look good to someone who has a budget to think of -- and all police forces have budgets to think of.

Furthermore, police searches fail quite a lot: plain and simple. I don't mean that they fail because the person isn't in the target area. Police searches fail quite a lot, even when they search the right area. If the search starts to get expensive, it gets called off -- it's that simple. Lots of missing people have been found after many years in an area that was supposedly scoured by searchers.

Most Likely Explanation: A Summary

Lars suffered a beating in the days before his disappearance. If he had some kind of hallucination or paranoia due to brain damage, then he probably had a desire to hide. Keeping in mind that he was fit and that mental problems don't limit you physically, he could, in fact, put himself in a really good hiding spot. He could also move quite a long distance on foot.

Quite frankly, he's likely in one of the wooded areas near where he was last seen, with the search complicated by police budgeting, animal scattering, and, presumably, the MP's own brain damage in the time frame leading up to his disappearance. This last point can't be ignored: someone who is suffering mentally but not physically could hide himself quite well.

What Happened to DB Cooper on November 24th, 1971? Top Scenario Explained!

By: Shane Lambert

The D.B. Cooper plane hijacking is a legendary unsolved mystery. The name is a false one given to a man who hijacked a plane in late November 1971. To this day, his identity remains unknown, and the debate regarding who he was has been alive for years.

In this article, I am changing perspectives a little. I'm not looking to find out what D.B. Cooper's real name was. Instead, I want to review what I think happened to Cooper on the night of the hijacking.

On this matter, I think one theory stands out as both simple and plausible: Cooper parachuted into the Columbia River or a tributary and met his end there. This is a previously supported theory, including with FBI agents.

The FBI artist rendering of the so-called D.B. Cooper

Review of the Events of November 24th, 1971: D.B. Cooper Hijacks a Plane

On November 24th, 1971, a man calling himself "Dan Cooper" boarded Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305. This flight was bound from Portland, Oregon, to Seattle, Washington, making it a short flight. Middle-aged, clad in a suit, and carrying a briefcase, he seemed like an ordinary airline customer. He stayed that way until he passed a note to a flight attendant claiming that he had a bomb.

At this point, Cooper demanded $200,000 in cash (worth about $1.5 million in 2025's terms). He also had an odd request: four parachutes in addition to the money.

Polite yet firm, Cooper showed wires and a battery which may only ostensibly have been connected to a bomb. But the crew took a "better safe than sorry" approach, and the plane landed in Seattle. At this point, the FBI delivered the ransom in 20-dollar bills. Importantly, these bills were serial-numbered. The FBI also included the parachutes, and Cooper released the 36 passengers but retained the crew on board.

He then directed the pilots to fly toward Mexico City, below 10,000 feet, with landing gear down and flaps at 15 degrees. Between 8:00 and 8:13 p.m., over southwestern Washington’s rugged terrain, Cooper lowered the rear airstair and leapt into the stormy night, the money tied to his waist. The crew felt a jolt but didn’t see him go. He vanished into that night and has not been seen since.

The Search for the Hijacker Failed

The FBI’s NORJAK investigation scoured the Pacific Northwest, but they found nothing in the immediate aftermath of the hijacking. It wasn't until 1980 that a lead developed when $5,800 of the cash surfaced on the Columbia River’s Tena Bar. This money was unearthed by a boy.

Despite 1,000+ suspects, Cooper’s fate remains unknown. Maybe you could say that his fate remains unknown because there were 1000+ suspects. The FBI having that many 'leads' to go through can only obfuscate matters. This unsolved U.S. skyjacking, regarding a man misnamed "D.B. Cooper," continues to captivate. It is the only American hijacking that remains unsolved.

Timeline of Key Events in the D.B. Cooper Hijacking

Date	Time (PT)	Event
November 24, 1971	2:50 p.m.	Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305 departs Portland International Airport (PDX) for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SeaTac), with "Dan Cooper" on board.
November 24, 1971	~3:00 p.m.	Cooper passes a note to a flight attendant claiming he has a bomb, beginning the hijacking.
November 24, 1971	~3:20 p.m.	Flight 305 lands in Seattle. Cooper demands $200,000, four parachutes, and releases the 36 passengers after receiving the ransom and parachutes, keeping the crew on board.
November 24, 1971	7:36 p.m.	Flight 305 takes off from Seattle, heading toward Reno, Nevada, as part of Cooper’s demand to fly to Mexico City, with specific flight instructions (below 10,000 feet, landing gear down, flaps at 15 degrees).
November 24, 1971	8:00–8:13 p.m.	Cooper jumps from the rear airstair of the Boeing 727 over southwestern Washington, near the Lewis River, with the money tied to his waist. The crew feels a pressure bump at 8:13 p.m., marking his likely exit.
February 10, 1980	Daytime	8-year-old Brian Ingram discovers $5,800 of Cooper’s ransom money buried at Tena Bar on the Columbia River’s north bank near Vancouver, Washington, the only physical evidence ever recovered.

The Columbia River: Features and Characteristics

I've hiked near the Columbia River at a couple of different spots, Invermere and Revelstoke. This river is one of North America’s mightiest waterways. Stretching over 1,200 miles from its source to the Pacific Ocean, it’s the largest river flowing directly into the Pacific from the western hemisphere, keeping in mind that the Fraser River, though bigger, empties into the Salish Sea.

The Columbia River's exact source is Columbia Lake, at 2,690 feet above sea level, in the Columbia Valley near Invermere, British Columbia. This is a serene and marshy area nestled between the Rocky and Purcell Mountains.

From there, it flows northwest through British Columbia, passing Revelstoke, BC. It later flows south and west through Washington and Oregon, draining a 258,000-square-mile basin. In the area near Cooper’s jump point, in southwestern Washington, the Columbia River is wide, deep, and fast-moving. The river, which terminates at the Pacific Ocean near Astoria, has depths reaching up to 124 feet and currents that can sweep objects far downstream. Its cold waters, fed by snowmelt and rain, carry a massive volume, averaging 265,000 cubic feet per second. The river’s bed is a tangle of sediment, logs, and rocks.

In late November, when Cooper jumped, the Columbia would have been a formidable force. Swollen by autumn rains and early snowmelt, its flow surges and was about 308,000 cubic feet per second in the region near the suspected drop zone (yes, I looked: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=14105700).

Water temperatures drop to around 40°F (4-5°C), and that would pose an immediate hypothermia risk to anyone submerged. The river’s surface can be choppy, whipped by seasonal storms and winds gusting through the rugged terrain. On November 24th, 1971, a storm battered the area, amplifying the river’s power and darkness, making survival unlikely for an unprepared parachutist landing in its grasp.

Source consulted for this section: Northwest Power and Conservation Council 

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Cooper's Likely Drop Zone: Map Coordinates of Relevant Places

While Flight 305 started its journey from Portland to Seattle, that leg is now backstory. Cooper’s real move came after the plane took off from Seattle at 7:36 p.m. (all times PT), heading toward Reno, Nevada, as part of his broader demand to reach Mexico City.

He jumped during this Seattle-to-Reno leg, between 8:00 and 8:13 p.m., over southwestern Washington. Though he instructed the crew to fly to Mexico City, Reno was the immediate refueling stop, making it the relevant destination for pinpointing his exit.

The table below maps this critical leg, alongside key related locations, with coordinates linking to Google Maps for a visual of where his fate likely unfolded. The coordinates are not necessarily exact, but will give readers a good indicator of the relevant areas.

Location	Description	Google Maps Coordinates
Plane Originated	Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SeaTac), Seattle, WA - Departed for Reno	47.4502°N, 122.3088°W
Plane Destination	Reno-Tahoe International Airport, Reno, NV - Where the plane was headed from Seattle	39.4991°N, 119.7681°W
Tena Bar	Columbia River shore near Vancouver, WA - Where $5,800 of ransom was found	45.7180°N, 122.7580°W
Estimated Drop Zone	Near Lewis River, southeast of Ariel, WA - Likely spot of Cooper’s jump	45.9667°N, 122.3167°W

The drop zone’s coordinates must be treated as broad rather than precise due to the plane’s speed and the 13-minute jump window. There are all kinds of factors, like wind and the weight of the plane, that could affect the vessel's trajectory. Notably, the plane was empty of passengers, carrying only Cooper and the crew after the 36 passengers were released in Seattle. This lighter load could have allowed the plane to fly faster than typical Seattle-to-Reno routes, which often carry full passenger loads and luggage.

A lighter aircraft reduces drag and fuel burn, potentially increasing speed beyond known averages. The variable speed, combined with the jump window and wind, makes the drop zone a broad estimate. While the other Google Maps coordinates are for exact spots, the drop zone is nowhere near exact.

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Tena Bar: The Place Where the Money Was Found in 1980

Tena Bar, where $5,800 of Cooper’s ransom money was found in 1980, is a sandy stretch on the Columbia River’s north bank near Vancouver, Washington, roughly 20 miles southwest of the estimated drop zone. On February 10th, 1980, 8-year-old Brian Ingram discovered the weathered $20 bills while digging at Tena Bar during a family camping trip. This was reported by The Oregonian and confirmed in a 2008 interview with Ingram. 

Readers should recall at this point that the FBI documented the serial numbers of the ransom money. The FBI’s NORJAK investigation verified that the serial numbers matched Cooper’s ransom, documenting the find in their public vault (vault.fbi.gov), often misspelling the site as “Tina Bar.”

The location, near the Fazio Brothers sand operation, was mapped at approximately 45.7180°N, 122.7580°W. In 2011, the Citizen Sleuths team, led by geologist Tom Kaye, analyzed the money’s condition and sediment at Tena Bar, confirming the site via GPS (citizensleuths.com). Their findings suggested the bills were deposited naturally by the river, supporting the theory that Cooper’s remains and money drifted downstream from the Lewis River area to the Columbia, where Tena Bar captured a small fraction of the loot.

If Cooper Went in the River, He Could be There a Very Long Time

How did the money get into the river? One way it could happen is if Cooper parachuted into the river himself with the money affixed to his waist.

After he drowns, currents would rip the money away from his body for sure. River currents and ocean currents will dismember a body if given the time. The river current would weaken whatever bonds Cooper used to secure the money, without any problem.

Conversely, the money could have fallen off Cooper as he parachuted. But here is why I treat this as a lesser scenario.

Firstly, if Cooper's losing his money, then that can only be taken to mean he is under duress. There's no way a ransomer lets his haul go unless it's absolutely necessary. This suggests a problematic parachute jump. If he didn't land in water, then you would think he would have been found in the land terrain, given the scale of the search and how much time has passed since November 1971.

But I think Cooper would have affixed the money to his waist incredibly securely before jumping. It's just something he is not going to be frivolous about: where the money goes, Cooper goes.

For me, the location of the money in the Columbia River means Cooper landed there with it, or he landed in a tributary. I would say that he was more likely to land in the Columbia just because of its size. Thus, my top guess as to Cooper's fate is simply that he parachuted into the river, upstream where the money was found.

How AI thinks it happened. 😂

People Lost in Rivers Can Stay Lost for Ages

There are a lot of missing people cases where someone known to have fallen into a river has stayed lost for decades and decades. Whatever rivers do to people who drown in them, they hide the remains well.

Remember that the money that D.B. Cooper lost was only found by the random digging of a child. It was not sticking out of the sand in an obvious way. Accordingly, it would not be surprising if D.B. Cooper is buried under river sediment and maybe even under water.

He could effectively be lost for all time or only likely to be found through a random event. That is especially the case since his case was deprioritized by the FBI in July 2016.

I think those looking for a satisfying answer to the mystery of what happened to him that night will simply have to take satisfaction in probabilities. If you accept that there's no way a ransomer is going to part with his money easily, then I think the balance of probabilities supports that Cooper's fate is tied to the same river or river network that the money was found in. He probably drowned because the money tied to his waist was found on the shores of a river.

Famous Cases: Who Was Jack the Ripper? MPC's Top Theory

By: Shane Lambert

I will work on a series in the time frame ahead that I will tag/label "Famous Historical Cases." This will be a tangent away from missing persons cases for a little bit. I do it because I'm sure the readers of my blog enjoy historical cases and are fans of true crime in general, not just missing people cases.

To start the series, I will look at the case of Jack the Ripper, the infamous and unsolved serial killer case from the late 19th century. In doing so, I presume the reader has at least some general knowledge of the case from the 1880s in England. My position is that Charles Lechmere should be considered the leading suspect.

Charles Lechmere: The Leading Suspect in the Jack the Ripper Case

Charles Lechmere stands as the strongest suspect in the Jack the Ripper case, holding a clear edge over all other top 'contenders' due to his undeniable presence at one of the crime scenes.

My position certainly isn't unique: Lechmere has gained massive traction among Ripperologists since the 2014 documentary, Jack the Ripper: The Missing Evidence, which featured Christer Holmgren's research into the case.

The revelations from that documentary were perhaps a long time coming. In fact, that someone did not point out the things that were pointed out in 2014 completely discredits the so-called Ripper pundits from times beforehand.

I recommend watching the YouTube video below (embedding good as of April 1st, 2025). I will say that there are some uncritical elements but that it's still great food for thought on the unsolved mystery of Jack the Ripper's real name.

Recommended Reading on Jack the Ripper

For a deeper dive into the Jack the Ripper case, explore The Complete History of Jack the Ripper by Philip Sugden.

Note a 4.6 out of 5.0 review score as of June 16th, 2025. This definitive book offers a detailed, research-driven account, dispelling myths with primary sources and shedding light on the victims and Victorian London. A must-read for true crime fans!

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Lechmere’s Undeniable Crime Scene Connection

On August 31st, 1888, Lechmere supposedly discovered Mary Ann Nichols’ body in Buck’s Row. Her throat had been slashed, her abdomen mutilated, and she was still warm as though it was moments after her death.

Unlike any other suspect, Charles Lechmere was physically there, alone with the corpse before Robert Paul, second on the scene, arrived. Lechmere quickly positioned himself as a witness as opposed to the perpetrator.

But his direct link to a crime scene and murder victim that is attributed to Jack the Ripper is something no one else has claimed or proven concerning any of the other suspects. As shown in the documentary from 2014, Charles Lechmere gave the name "Charles Cross." His link to the crime scene appeared in newspapers at the time, as per the September 3rd, 1888 Evening Telegraph below.

Charles Cross would later be shown to be Charles Lechmere.

Accordingly, Lechmere's link to a crime scene isn’t speculation or hindsight: it is a documented fact from the inquest. Furthermore, it is something that modern researchers can double-check. That's an important point because some of the arguments in favor of other 'suspects' lack this criterion.

I can (and did) go into newspaper archives and look for the articles from that time that report Lechmere's association (ie, Cross' association) with one of the crime scenes. That gives him a tangible advantage over the likes of Aaron Kosminski, Montague John Druitt, or Walter Sickert. Compared to Lechmere, theories regarding these other individuals are built on the proverbial house of cards.

Circumstantial Evidence Strengthening Lechmere’s Case

Other aspects of Lechmere's involvement are, in fact, more tenuous. They are covered in the 2014 documentary mentioned earlier, which I will review.

His daily route from 22 Doveton Street, Bethnal Green, to Pickfords in Broad Street ran through Whitechapel, brushing past murder sites like Hanbury Street (Annie Chapman) and Mitre Square (Catherine Eddowes).

Lechmere's mother’s residence near Berner Street (Elizabeth Stride) ties him to four of the five canonical killings. Add his job as a carman hauling meat, handling knives and blood daily, and his early-morning schedule, and the fit starts to look right. He has a cover and a reason to be in public with blood on him.

Then there’s his inquest oddities: using “Charles Cross” instead of Lechmere, contradicting Paul’s account, and downplaying Nichols’ injuries to police. Paul's account should be considered more credible based on the fact that he actually gave his real name. These circumstances aren’t proof of guilt, but they’re red flags no other suspect carries with such immediacy.

Aaron Kosminski’s Flimsy Case Without DNA

Contrast this with Aaron Kosminski, whose case crumbles without its flimsy DNA crutch. The 2014 study by Jari Louhelainen and Russell Edwards claimed mitochondrial DNA from a dubious shawl linked Kosminski to a murder victim, Catherine Eddowes.

But the shawl’s provenance is unproven, and no 1888 record ties it to a crime scene. It could be pointed out that contamination over a century could have taken place, but I don't think there is a need to go there, because the authors stonewalled scrutiny. In doing so, they forfeited their right to be taken seriously.

It is a scientific standard to share raw data. If they had a smoking gun and wanted to be regarded as credible, then they couldn't guard the research that led to their conclusion.

Some experts didn't like their research for poor science (Science.org/Mar 15, 2019/David Adam). This makes the claim that Kosminski is tied to a crime scene nothing more than a narrative.

“Walther Parson, a forensic scientist at the Institute of Legal Medicine at Innsbruck Medical University in Austria, says mitochondrial DNA sequences pose no risk to privacy and the authors should have included them in the paper. 'Otherwise the reader cannot judge the result. I wonder where science and research are going when we start to avoid showing results but instead present colored boxes.'”

Without a direct tie, Kosminski’s case is vapor: he is a weirdo and nothing more. There are loads of odd people in alleys and late-night streets in any city. You don't need expertise to realize that, just some life experience.

Modern Policing Supports Lechmere’s Suspicion

Modern policing bolsters the suspicion around Lechmere in more ways than one. Yes, today, the body-finder is Suspect One until cleared, and Lechmere’s story wouldn’t pass muster without alibi checks or forensic scrutiny, tools absent in 1888. Other points of view on modern police work are relevant as well.

For instance, what would it mean in modern police work if someone tried to evade identity? On this matter, I will digress to some personal experience I have.

I actually work with identity evaders all the time in my profession, which is night-time hotel work that includes security duties. People causing a ruckus in public areas of the hotel at 3AM or thereabouts often refuse to give their room numbers, refuse to give ID, or give room numbers that do not exist. I have no doubt it's an effort to avoid any punishments (such as eviction) associated with their minor crimes.

Such people who evade identification are always guilty of some kind of offense on hotel property, albeit minor offenses. But I will say that someone who attempts to evade identification is a very suspicious character in a hotel. I am basing this on my own work experience with the 3AM disturbing-the-peace types.

When someone doesn't give their room number or ID, I follow their footsteps on camera to their room number and flag the room for all staff to be aware of. Conversely, someone who gives ID or a correct room number is usually just given a casual verbal warning. In short, not identifying yourself has the opposite effect of the one that the person intends. They face greater scrutiny, not lesser.

Police Would Be Highly Suspicious of Identity Misrepresentation

In more serious contexts, police aren't fans of people using aliases. In modern police work, Lechmere's evading identity would be taken to mean he has something to hide. In modern times, police would think that he might have a criminal record, warrants, or be evading follow-up investigations.

In fact, something like this happened concerning Ted Bundy, the American serial killer. He was pulled over for a traffic violation in Florida while on the lam. He gave a misleading name and once that was discovered, there was no way police were letting him go. Bundy would never see freedom again.

Giving anything except your incontrovertible legal name could be construed as obstruction of justice. In modern police work, that could lead to a lot, such as home searches, interrogations, and penetrating investigations. If you found a body and gave an alias to the police, they would be all over you in modern times, as police tactics on these matters have evolved for the better over the last several decades.

Kosminski is the Popular Top Pick is Total Garbage

Lechmere would be under a microscope in modern times. But as far as Kosminski goes, modern police would not likely elevate his status higher than "person of interest."

His lunacy and hatred for women would be major red flags, especially since he had contempt for prostitutes. But without anything against him tying him to a crime scene, he would not be elevated to a suspect, I'm sure. If he were put to trial, I'm sure the result would likely be Not Guilty, especially if Lechmere's more convincing candidacy as the top suspect was raised in defense.

In conclusion, the only person who can be considered a suspect is Lechmere. Everyone else is either a person of interest at best or someone who was more or less arbitrarily suggested (there are scores of Ripper 'suspects' noted in crime writing).

In conclusion, I would say Lechmere is the top suspect, and that any other suggested figure is an incredibly distant No. 2.