The Case of the Unknown Woman: The Story of One of the Most Intriguing Murder Mysteries of the Nineteenth Century

This is a fascinating tale based on an actual event that began on March 26, 1887, when a young woman was found murdered in a field on the outskirts of Rahway, New Jersey. She had been bludgeoned about the face, and her throat had been cut from ear to ear.

F. Alexander Shipley has provided a detailed history of the investigation into this murder, including numerous identifications of the victim and several confessions to this horrendous crime. Thousands of individuals, many of whom had a missing family member or friend, thronged to the local morgue, eager to catch a glimpse of the victim in hopes of identifying the remains.

Some have speculated there is a possible link between this dastardly deed and the crimes of Jack the Ripper.

F. Alexander Shipley, a retired high school English teacher and lifelong resident of Rahway, New Jersey, and his wife, Robin, reside in the very town where these events occurred over a century ago. He is the father of two, Lauren and Sam.

Shipley has a B.A. in English from Montclair University, an M.A. in Humanities from Kean University, and is the published author of three previous works entitled Rediscovery of Rahway, Images of the Past, and Images of the Past II.

His interest in this case began at age ten, upon reading a brief one-page account of the story and as he researched his other books, he came across more information that led him to write about this mysterious case.