25 September 1840 – 8 September 1888
Annie Chapman, 47, was the third known victim of Jack the Ripper. She had been a married woman with kids, who fell into poverty after the death of her husband and having to rear a disabled child. She sold flowers and then out of desperation for finances she started working as a prostitute.
Jack the Ripper is a famous serial killer who killed five known women in Whitechapel, London from August to November 1888.
On 7 September, Chapman started feeling ill and was looking pale. On 8 September, Chapman hadn’t had any money for lodging. She drank beer with a friend just after midnight and at 1:35 am she left with the intention of earning money for a bed. She was last witnessed talking to a man, who was aged in his 40s with dark hair.
Chapman’s body was discovered at around 6 am on 8 September by a resident. She was found at the entrance to the yard of 29 Hanbury Street with her body lying against the fence with her head near the stairs. Her throat had been cut and her abdomen had been mutilated. Items with Chapman were two pills for her lung condition, a part of a torn envelope, and a comb. Close to her body was a leather apron, which had water on it near the tap.
The autopsy showed that Chapman was indeed sick, her lungs and brains were in an advanced state of disease, and she only had a few months to live. Chapman’s body was buried on 14 September. She was buried in a communal grave east London; the location is unknown. A plaque honouring Chapman was placed in the cemetery in 2008.
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