Stanford alum Lyric McHenry found dead on NYC sidewalk, man wanted for questioning

Aug. 29, 2018, 2:30 p.m.

New York City Police are now on the search for a man wanted for questioning after Lyric McHenry ’14 was found dead on a Bronx sidewalk around 5:00 a.m. on Aug. 14.

According to the New York City Police Department (NYPD), the 26-year-old McHenry, who was 20 weeks pregnant at the time, was found with “no obvious signs of trauma” on a sidewalk near Undercliff Avenue and Boscobel Place in Highbridge. Though she was found with a bag of what police believe to be cocaine, the cause of death has not yet been determined, pending investigation by a medical examiner.

McHenry graduated with a B.A. in Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity (CSRE) and had been working on a number of film projects at the time of her death. According to an announcement from the Center for CSRE, McHenry was passionate about making the film and television industries more accessible to communities of color and to those excluded from representation in those industries.

McHenry grew up in Los Angeles and had worked at Refinery 29 and Complex after finding a passion for internet content. At Refinery 29, she created a YouTube show called “Lingo with Lyric” in which she explored the idea of a post-race society. She was also a producer on the short film “Downpour Summer,” which was released in 2016.

In her high school years, McHenry was involved in social justice causes, including working for the Obama campaign in both 2008 and 2012.

During her undergraduate years at Stanford, McHenry was involved in the arts, and she also studied abroad in Paris. She was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta. 

McHenry’s father, a Hollywood producer, issued a statement describing his daughter as “a brilliant, creative and lovely young woman who shared a deep passion for writing, film, and a longstanding commitment to social justice.”

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly cited the title of McHenry’s YouTube channel. The Daily regrets this error.

Contact Karen Kurosawa at karen16 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

Karen is a Desk Editor for the University beat. She is also a member of The Daily's Special Projects team, where she works on initiatives including The Stanford Daily Winter Externship. Contact her at karen16 'at' stanford.edu.

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