I read with interest your story in the Guardian about Jack the Ripper. I believe I uncovered his identity some years ago while researching my family history.

The person who I believe was Jack the Ripper died after taking carbolic acid while temporarily insane. The death certificate describes him as violent. Karl FG Berg married his first wife Rebecca Fryer from Hoxton in 1868. He was a jeweller and came from Frankfurt, Germany. He died in 1892 in Worship Street in Shoreditch.

They had three children - Henry, Flora and Otto. Charles (Karl) Berg remarried in 1890 claiming to be a widower. I could not find any death record for his wife or daughter. Karl (Charles) Berg was remarried in Shoreditch in 1890 to Emmerlie Backtel who claimed she lived in Clifton Street while Charles Berg was still listed at 93 Worship Street. She disappeared soon after the marriage.

I could not find a death record for her. Karl (Charles) Berg had a father called Henry Berg who was also a jeweller. The East End deaths stopped in 1890. Why? The possible suicide of Karl (Charles) Berg?

William Durham, Richmond Crescent, Highams Park