- Description: Victim.
In the words of Sarah Koenig, "[S]he was cheerful and light and funny. That she loved the movie Titanic, that she sometimes put nail polish on just so that she could pick it off. She wasn’t insecure, seemingly ever. Sprite was her favorite soda. The Dallas Cowboys her favorite team, not because she cared about football but because she liked the colors blue and silver. That she could charm you without trying. That she was a good friend to her friends. She took in their problems and their pain and tried to help them if she could." - Alt. names or misspellings: Hae Lee, Hay, Hey, Hayley, Hay, Hea, Haymen, Hey Men Lee
- Student: Woodlawn High School '99
- Job Title: Sales team member
- Employer: LensCrafters
Further information:
Shortly before her disappearance, Hae Min Lee did an interview with a local TV station, Channel 36, about her sports activities. Although the full interview is missing, clips shown in later news reports are available via the News Coverage page.
Hae’s birth date was October 15th 1980. She was a Korean citizen with right of permanent residency in the USA.
In an interview with LAX (Lacrosse) Magazine one of Hae’s former teammates shared some happier memories.
“And, god, she was beautiful on the field. She was just beautiful. Watching her flit between defenders was watching a pure expression of grace and speed. We all bobbed and weaved, but she danced. She made every play look like it was choreographed… I would say that she loved lacrosse, but it would be just as true to say she loved everything. She loved life and explored everything with the same verve. And she was hell-bent on bringing you along for the ride. I can’t really even remember what she looks like without a huge grin on her face.”
Kathryn Twigg Arrildt, Class of 2001