Renowned forensic pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht died “peacefully” Monday at the age of 93, according to Pennsylvania officials.
The former Allegheny County medical examiner famously analyzed the deaths of President John F. Kennedy, Elvis Presley, JonBenet Ramsey, Anna Nicole Smith and others. He previously weighed in on the Gabby Petito and Ellen Greenberg cases for Fox News Digital.
“He was the first civilian permitted to examine the evidence from the assassination of President John F. Kennedy at the National Archives, and the first person to discover that the President’s brain, and related material, was missing,” an obituary from the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts states. “He was the nation’s foremost critic of the Warren Commission’s infamous single bullet theory. He personally conducted tens of thousands of autopsies, consulted and testified in countless criminal and civil cases, spoke around the world to professional, lay, and student groups, held several faculty appointments, authored dozens of books and hundreds of scholarly articles, and collaborated on numerous film and television projects, including the award-winning films JFK and Concussion.”
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro described Wecht as “a legendary figure in forensic pathology and criminal justice” in a Monday statement posted to X, adding that “the way he pursued truth and justice is an inspiration.”
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Forensic pathologist Cyril Wecht, who has been conducting a personal investigation for ten years into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, believes it is still an unsolved murder case. (Getty Images)
“Throughout my career, Cyril showed me a genuine kindness and taught me many lessons on public service. Today, Lori and I are praying for his wife Sigrid, their four children, and the entire Wecht family. As I said today to his son, Justice David Wecht, Cyril lived a full, impactful, and meaningful life. May Cyril Wecht’s memory forever be a blessing,” Shaprio said.
Born to immigrant parents on March 20, 1931, Wecht leaves behind his wife Sigrid, their four children and 11 grandchildren, according to the obituary.
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Michael Haag, right, a U.S. crime scene investigator, talks with Dr. Cyril H. Wecht while gathering evidence in Tainan, March 29, 2004, where an assassination attempt was made on Republic of China President Chen Shui-bian on March 19. (SAM YEH/AFP)
He graduated from Fifth Avenue High School as class Valedictorian and went on to study at the University of Pittsburgh. After earning his medical degree at the University of Pittsburgh Medical School, Wecht joined the U.S. Air Force.
While serving in the Air Force, Wecht met his wife, whom he married after they were both honorably discharged from service. He went on to obtain his law degree from the University of Maryland while working in the Medical Examiner’s Office then obtained his second law degree at Pittsburgh University around the same time his four children were born.
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Dr. Cyril Wecht of Pittsburgh, a witness during the hearings to exhume the body of Mary Jo Kopechne, who testified that in his opinion the body should be exhumed, talks to reporters, Oct. 21, 1969, in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. (AP Photo/Paul Vathis, File)
“Cyril embarked on a long and stellar career combining his training in medicine and law, and his then-rare expertise in the nascent field of forensic pathology. Early on, Cyril juggled four jobs — as a forensic pathologist/deputy at the Coroner’s Office, as an Assistant District Attorney/medical-legal adviser to the District Attorney, as a pathologist at the Veterans Administration Hospital – Leech Farm, and as an attorney practicing with his friends David and Roslyn Litman,” the obituary states.
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Pathologist and former Allegheny County Coroner Dr. Cyril Wecht speaks during the swearing in ceremony for Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice and his son, David N. Wecht, Jan. 7, 2016, at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. (Keith Srakocic)
He was then elected as Allegheny County Coroner for several terms later served as Allegheny County’s first Chief Medical Examiner.
He founded the Pittsburgh Institute of Legal Medicine and the Cyril H. Wecht Institute of Forensic Science and Law at Duquesne University, where he taught for about 60 years.
Dr. Cyril H. Wecht gathers evidence in Tainan, March 29, 2004, where an assassination attempt was made on Republic of China President Chen Shui-bian on March 19. (SAM YEH/AFP)
“He worked avidly and expertly to discover the truth surrounding deaths and injuries suffered by others, and brought comfort and justice for countless grieving and victimized families around the globe. He loved Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, and, although he traveled the world, he never would consider living anywhere else (save for his two years of military service and his brief time In Baltimore after discharge),” the obituary says.
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Wecht “loved his family” and made their “happiness, well-being, and education” his top priority.
