HENDERSON, NEVADA — Forensic scientist Henry Lee died at age 87 Friday at his home in Henderson, Nevada, following a brief illness. Lee gained international prominence for his work on high-profile criminal cases including the O.J. Simpson murder trial.

Lee testified in the 1995 O.J. Simpson murder trial, where he questioned the handling of blood evidence. He also served as a consultant in several other major cases, including the 1996 investigation of JonBenet Ramsey's slaying, the 2004 murder trial of Scott Peterson, and the 2007 murder trial of Phil Spector.

Lee first gained prominence for his work investigating the 1986 disappearance of flight attendant Helle Crafts in Connecticut, using tiny fragments of bone, a thumb tip, a tooth crown and pieces of hair found near her home to help authorities make the case that her husband had cut up her body and disposed of it in a wood chipper. Prosecutors won a conviction in the case despite having no body.

A federal court ruling in 2023 found Lee liable for fabricating evidence in a 1985 murder case that sent two Connecticut men to prison for decades. In 2020, a state judge vacated the 1985 murder convictions of two men who had been found guilty in part based on Lee's testimony about bloodstains on a towel. Tests done after the trial showed that the stains on the towel were not blood, and a federal judge in 2023 said there was no evidence to back up Lee's testimony about the bloodstains. Lee denied fabricating evidence and suggested that traces of blood may have degraded in the 20 years between the crime and when defense experts tested the towel.

Lee spent much of his career based in Connecticut, including serving as head of the state's forensic laboratory. He stepped down as commissioner of the Connecticut State Police in 2000. At the University of New Haven, where he taught for more than 50 years, Lee helped build the forensic science program from a single fingerprint kit into a multidisciplinary academic department. He also helped found a forensics institute in his name at the university to train and provide case consultation to forensic and criminal justice professionals.

"Dr. Lee was a remarkable individual. 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," said University of New Haven President Jens Frederiksen.

Lee was born in China and was the 11th of 13 children. He and his family moved to Taiwan, where he earned a degree in police administration and became a police officer and later a captain. Lee and his wife moved to the United States in 1964, where he earned advanced degrees in forensic science and biochemistry.

Lee was the author or co-author of more than 40 books. According to a statement from the University of New Haven, Lee's final book on missing-persons investigations is expected to still be released.