Jack the Ripper is the best-known name given to an unidentified serial killer who was active in the largely impoverished areas in and around the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. The name originated in a letter, written by someone claiming to be the murderer, that was disseminated in the media. The killer was known as "The Whitechapel Murderer" as well as "Leather Apron". Between August and November 1888, the Whitechapel area of London was the scene of five brutal murders. All the women murdered were prostitutes, and all except for one - Elizabeth Stride - were horribly mutilated.