DR. LEE SHARES FORENSIC EXPERTISE ON LOCAL FENTANYL INVESTIGATION

If one were investigating a complicated case, say, a spate of heroin
deaths, it would be useful to consult with a renowned forensic scientist.

Dr. Henry Lee was in town yesterday to lecture on crime scene
investigation at Duquesne University. Dr. Lee has assisted in more
than 6,000 investigations worldwide, including the O.J. Simpson trial
and Jon Benet Ramsey murder.

After the lecture he spoke about how authorities could investigate
overdoses of fentanyl-laced heroin that is suspected as the cause of
eight recent deaths in Pittsburgh. Another 100 deaths have been
attributed to the drug combination in other cities.

His first thought was that numerous and widespread cases call for a
national task force and shared database, a model that dovetails with
his emphasis on teamwork.

"It's not one person," who solves a crime, "like on TV," he said.

Pathologists concentrate on establishing the cause and manner of each
death. Toxicologists pinpoint the exact drug compounds and
contaminants. Detectives work the witnesses and survivors. Forensic
scientists collect and analyze the evidence.

Managing information nationally enables investigators to link the
killer drugs to the manufacturer and distribution networks.

Something like that is being done locally. Pittsburgh and Alleghey
County police, the medical examiner and district attorney have formed
a local task force that is feeding information to the federal Drug
Enforcement Administration.

Logic and clear thinking were recurring themes of his lecture at
Duquesne's Wecht Institute of Forensic Science and Law. He urged
students to follow the evidence upstream and downstream.

In the deadly drug cases, upstream logic is looking at physical
evidence such as packaging and drug purity to narrow the search for
the dealers and manufacturer. Downstream logic is using that
information to alert the public and deter other sellers from dealing
death, he said.

He urged students to observe closely, physically as well as
intellectually. As he showed photographs of crime scenes, his
favorite question was, "What's wrong with this?"

Dr. Lee lectured on methods and technology but his science is as much
about attitude as technique.

Analyzing evidence enables investigators to formulate questions. He
wants criminalists to think about evidence not in terms of a theory
that forecloses possibilities but as a hypothesis that guides the
quest for answers.

The job, he said, is not to build a case for the prosecution or
defense, "but to let the evidence speak for itself."