Gender:Female

CSI Level:Three

Date of Birth:03/26/63

Height:5’6”

Education:B.S. in Medical Technology, UNLV

Weight: 104 lbs

Special Skills:Blood spatter analysis

Hair Colour:Strawberry Blonde

Known Relitives: Lindsey Willows (Daughter), Lilly Flynn (Mother), Sam Braun - Dead - (Father), Eddie Willows - Dead- (Ex Husband), Jeremy (Nephew), Unnamed Sister

Catherine was born in Boozman Montana and raised by her mother, Lilly Flynn (Anita Gillette), a former show girl (Weeping Willows, Kiss, Kiss, Bye, Bye) with occasional contact with her biological father, casino owner Sam Braun (Scott Wilson). Catherine herself worked for a time as a dancer/stripper and briefly had a cocaine habit, dropping it before pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology from the University of Las Vegas. Like the other characters on CSI, she has a wide knowledge of odd facts that help in their investigations of crime scenes.

Catherine has one daughter, Lindsey Willows (originally portrayed by Madison McReynolds, as of 2006 by Kay Panabaker), and had a stormy relationship with ex-husband Eddie (Timothy Carhart) until his murder (Lady Heather's Box). Prosecution of Eddie's killer proved impossible due to ambiguous evidence, something she took rather hard. Catherine's relationship with Lindsey soured somewhat after Eddie's murder, and the girl's behavior took a turn for the worse; she would get in fights at school and was once picked up for hitchhiking. Catherine took Lindsey to the morgue and showed her the body of a murder victim to impress upon Lindsey the danger of her behavior. Catherine later enrolled Lindsey in Butterfield (4x4), a private school that would keep a tighter rein on her.

Catherine's relationship with Sam Braun occasionally created conflicts in cases where he was involved in some way with an ongoing investigation (i.e., Inside the Box). However, Catherine and Lindsey are now financially stable thanks to a rather large monetary gift from Sam Braun. At the time, Catherine thought the payment was intended to buy her off, but she deposited the check in the end, a matter that caused tension between Catherine and Grissom in an ethics debate. In episode 702 ("Built to Kill, Part 2") Braun is shot and dies moments later in Catherine's arms. Catherine, in episode 705 ("Double-Cross"), lights a candle in a Roman Catholic church in Sam's memory, crosses herself, and whispers, "This one is for you, Sam." It remains to be seen what Catherine will inherit from Braun (Catherine was asked about it by fellow investigator Nick Stokes in episode #152, Leaving Las Vegas, but beyond describing Braun's large estate as being tied up in land development, she seemed indifferent and not anticipating a large legacy) as he cared very deeply for her, even when she was his legal opponent.

Catherine dates in several episodes. One brief flirtation, in the episode Weeping Willows, ended when the man (Adam Novak, played by Marg Helgenberger's real-life husband, Alan Rosenberg) became overly aggressive. No long-term romantic relationships have otherwise been established, though there was a brief flirtation with fellow CSI Warrick Brown, ending with his marriage, which seemed to upset her. Catherine maintains a close friendship with the other investigators on the night shift, especially supervisor Gil Grissom, though she has occasionally criticized him for his lax attitude toward paperwork and office politics. When newcomer Sara Sidle arrived they briefly butted heads, but have become friends since then.

After Greg Sanders is injured in an explosion in the lab in episode 322 ("Playing With Fire"), Catherine visits him in the hospital so that she can tell him personally that she was partially responisble for the accident. Several years later, she also expresses a deal of concern for Greg when he returns to work not too long after being the victim of a brutal beating (episode 705, "Double Cross").

After Grissom goes on sabbatical, Catherine welcomes his temporary replacement Michael Keppler, accepting Keppler quite quickly into his new role on the team (episode 712, "Sweet Jane"). Despite some misgivings on her part, she follows his suggestions in performing an unorthodox investigative style known as "reverse forensics," which, although successful in luring out the suspect, fails to produce charges because a lack of communication between the undersheriff and the district attorney. It also serves to create a great deal of hard feelings when the other members of her team discover that she and Keppler deceived them and created a false crime scene (episode 713, "Redrum"). After Keppler goes rogue during an investigation, she is the first to express concern to and about him. Unfortunately, she locates him just moments too late, after he takes a fatal bullet meant for a murder witness. When the paramedics declare Keppler to be dead, Catherine collapses in tears into (lately returned) Grissom's arms (episode 715, "Law of Gravity").

*Source, Wikpedia.org