The Cuban forensic expert Jorge González Pérez, widely acknowledged for his expertise in Legal Medicine and leading the search for Che Guevara's remains, passed away on Tuesday in Havana at the age of 72. The Minister of Public Health, José Ángel Portal Miranda, announced the news on social media, omitting the cause of death.
"It is with deep sorrow that we learned of the passing of Dr. Jorge González Pérez, our dear 'Popi,' a paragon in Medicine and Science in Cuba," he expressed. González Pérez was a distinguished forensic doctor and directed the Institute of Legal Medicine in Havana for many years.
Significant Contributions in Forensic Science
Owing to his undeniable skill and allegiance to the government, he was tasked in the 1990s with orchestrating the search and identification of the remains of Che Guevara and the fighters who died alongside him in Bolivia in 1967. In 2022, he led forensic investigations at the site of the Matanzas Supertanker Base fire.
Political and Academic Roles
He served as a deputy in Cuba's National Assembly from 1998 to 2003 and was re-elected for another five-year term, during which he chaired the Health and Sports Commission. His role as a deputy was reaffirmed in 2018.
Jorge González Pérez was a founding member of the Cuban Society of Legal Medicine, presiding over it from 1990 until 2017. He also held the position of rector at the University of Medical Sciences of Havana since 2001.
Educational Background and Early Career
Born on April 23, 1952, in Jovellanos, Matanzas, "Popi" graduated in Medicine from the University of Havana in 1975. He went to Germany two years later for a year-long training in Legal Medicine, achieving the First Degree in that specialty in 1981, and earned his doctorate in Legal Medicine and Criminalistics in 1987.