Dr. Henry C. Lee File photo: VCG
Dr. Henry C. Lee, a world-renowned forensic scientist, died Friday at his home in Henderson, Nevada at the age of 87, the Xinhua News Agency reported, citing a release from the University of New Haven.
Lee had displayed remarkable strength, grace and resilience during a brief illness, the release said.
"Dr. Lee was a remarkable individual," said University of New Haven President Jens Frederiksen. "His contributions to our University as well as forensic science and law enforcement are extraordinary and unmatched. His legacy lives on in the generations of students and law enforcement professionals he impacted throughout his brilliant career," according to Xinhua.
Born in November 1938 in Rugao, Jiangsu, China, Lee had worked on more than 8,000 criminal cases in 46 different countries, according to the Crime Museum. A well-known case that Dr. Lee worked on was the O.J. Simpson case, the Xinhua report said.
Lee had traveled to the island of Taiwan on several occasions to assist in forensic investigations into major cases, including the 2004 probe into the shooting of former Taiwan regional leader Chen Shui-bian, and became a household name there, according to Singaporean media outlet Lianhe Zaobao.
Lee attended the Pujiang Science Master Forum hosted by China’s Fudan University in Shanghai on June 7, 2025, where he was awarded an honorary professorship by Fudan University. At the event, he said he had always considered himself a scientist, “speaking through science and evidence, and saying only what the evidence supports,” according to a release Fudan University published on its official website on June 18, 2025.
Lee joined the University of New Haven in 1975 and founded the Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Science in 1998.
In its release following Lee’s passing, the University of New Haven wrote that “committed to giving back, he had contributed his speaking honoraria and major gifts over the years. Ever humble, he did not want a memorial or celebration of life.”
Global Times
