Forensic Pathologist Werner Spitz

Today we talk to forensic pathologist Werner Spitz. Dr. Spitz is 96 but shows no signs of retirement. As we’ll find out, he wouldn’t even want to retire on his 100th birthday in 2026. Spitz was born in what was then Germany and is now Poland in 1926 to a Jewish family and moved to France early in Hitler’s rise to power. The family moved to Israel, where Spitz would later receive an MD. After he moved to the U.S., Werner worked as a forensic pathologist in Maryland and in Michigan, where he’s based now. Over his career, Spitz has worked on the cases of JFK, MLK, JonBenet Ramsey, Nicole Brown Simpson, and others. He’s also a coauthor of the textbook, Medicolegal Investigation of Death, an over 700 page tome written to help new forensic pathologists and the police. The book’s in its fifth edition, it now contains color photographs, and has gotten rave reviews from many, including David Sedaris. We’ll talk about the structure of forensic pathology, Werner’s family, and his career. We'll be starting our annual summer hiatus soon. Ezra