Henry Lee, 1938 – 2026

Celebrity forensic scientist Dr. Henry Chang-Yu Lee, 87, died on March 27. If you’re fan of trashy true-crime TV like I am, you’ve seen him a million times: Unsolved Mysteries, 48 Hours, Forensic Files, etc. (he also hosted his own show, Trace Evidence: The Case Files of Dr. Henry Lee, in 2004). Lee worked on such famous cases as Jon-Benet Ramsey, O.J. Simpson, Caylee Anthony, and at least two Murderin’ Peterson Husbands. Born in China, he earned various degrees from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and New York University; he was chief emeritus for the Connecticut State Police, and founded the Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Science (he was also found liable for fabricating evidence in a murder case that sent two Connecticut men to prison for decades for a crime they did not commit). Lee told interviewer Suzette Standring that when he began his career, “I had nightmares. I couldn’t understand why somebody would do this to somebody. As I got more involved in forensics, I see more through the victim’s family’s eyes, and I thought that somebody has to help them.” He told his students, “don’t waste your life . . . Don’t get into the nightlife or gambling. Sooner or later we leave this earth. You have to do more than when you started.” (Me, I’m glad I have nightlife to look back on in my declining years).