OAKLAND, Calif. (KTVU) – Award-winning reporter Henry Lee’s fascination with crime began at a young age.
“I've actually been chasing sirens ever since I was about 7 years old, when my best friend and I would pedal furiously on our BMX trick bikes after the cop cars and ambulances that careened through our neighborhood in Irvine,” Lee said with a smile.
Over the years, Bay Area residents have been drawn to Lee’s local crimes stories during his years at the San Francisco Chronicle.
“As a print reporter, I've had the opportunity to discuss high-profile stories like the Laci and Scott Peterson saga, the Oikos University massacre in Oakland, the Kate Steinle tragedy and many other cases on local and national TV news programs and true-crime documentaries,” he said.
Lee said his typical day begins without a specific story in mind. But within hours, he’s in midst of covering stories as they break throughout the area.
“In my line of work, I have no idea what I will be covering, sometimes from one hour to the next. And it's always thrilling,” he said. “I've flown with the Blue Angels. I've gone undercover.”
“There was the time I ended up chasing a murder suspect named Hans Reiser in downtown Oakland because the computer entrepreneur was acting suspiciously wouldn't answer questions about his missing wife.”
More recently, Lee was the recipient of a mysterious "proof of life" audio file and e-mails purportedly from the kidnappers of a Vallejo couple in what has been called the "Gone Girl" case.
While he grew up in Southern California, Lee’s local roots grow deep. He joined the newspaper world as a graduate of UC Berkeley and has been in the area ever since.
Look for Lee’s reports on KTVU's newscasts, KTVU.com and KTVU's twitter and Facebook pages.