Henry Lee

Born in China in 1938, Henry C. Lee built an extraordinary career in forensic science after moving to the United States. He served in Connecticut law enforcement, including as commissioner of public safety, and later became closely associated with the University of New Haven, where he taught and helped train generations of investigators.

Lee became widely known through his work on major criminal investigations and courtroom testimony in high-profile cases. Alongside that public work, he wrote and co-wrote many books on crime scene investigation and forensic methods, helping bring the language and logic of forensic science to a broad readership.

He died on March 27, 2026, at age 87. His legacy lives on in the students he taught, the forensic practices he advanced, and the many readers who discovered the world of criminal investigation through his books.