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Known as "Dark Annie," she was a 47-year old destitute prostitute who roamed the streets and moved from one common lodging house to the next when she could afford to pay for a room. In the early a.m. hours of September 8, 1888 she was thrown out of her lodging house to earn money for her bed. Her body was found several hours later in the backyard of 29 Hanbury Street disemboweled and mutilated. Her uterus and a portion of the flesh surrounding her belly button were taken from the scene by the killer. She had married John Chapman, a coachman, in 1869. The couple had three children but her firstborn died of meningitis and her youngest son was born crippled. Due probably to the stress caused by the misfortunes of their children, the couple took to heavy drinking and separated. They lived apart for four years during which time Annie received an allowance from her husband until his death in 1886.