Elizabeth Stride
Elizabeth "Long Liz" Stride (née Gustafsdotter; 27 November 1843 – 30 September 1888) is believed to have been the third victim of the unidentified serial killer known as Jack the Ripper, who killed and mutilated at least five women in the Whitechapel and Spitalfields districts of London from late August to early November 1888.
Elizabeth Stride | |
|---|---|
Mortuary photograph of Elizabeth Stride | |
| Born | Elisabeth Gustafsdotter 27 November 1843 Torslanda, Sweden |
| Died | 30 September 1888 (aged 44) Whitechapel, London, England |
| Cause of death | Haemorrhage due to partial severance of the left carotid artery; severance of trachea |
| Body discovered | Dutfield's Yard, Berner Street (now known as Henriques Street), Whitechapel, London 51.5137°N 0.0655°W |
| Resting place | East London Cemetery, West Ham, England 51.526658°N 0.012057°E (approximate) |
| Occupation(s) | Cleaner, casual prostitute |
| Known for | Victim of serial murder |
| Spouse |
John Thomas Stride
(m. 1869; sep. 1881) |
Unlike the other four canonical Ripper victims, Stride had not been mutilated following her murder, leading some historians to suspect Stride had not actually been murdered by Jack the Ripper. However, Stride's murder occurred less than one hour before the murder of the Ripper's fourth canonical victim, Catherine Eddowes, within walking distance, and her act of murder is suspected to have been disturbed by an individual entering the crime scene upon a two-wheeled cart. In addition, both women had been murdered by slash wounds to the throat, leading most authors and researchers to consider Stride to be the third of the Ripper's canonical five victims.
Stride was nicknamed "Long Liz". Several explanations have been given for this pseudonym; some believe it sources from her married surname (a stride being a reference to a long step), while others believe this is a reference to either her height, or her general facial structure.