The 9/11 Identification Effort Continues
Twenty-five years after the September 11, 2001, attacks, forensic scientists at New York City’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner continue working to identify remains recovered from the World Trade Center site. Nearly 22,000 fragments have been collected, but remains for about 40 per cent of the 2,753 people killed at Ground Zero have not been identified.
The work has been complicated by conditions that severely damaged DNA, including fire, water, fuel, chemicals, sunlight, mold and bacteria. Bone samples are especially difficult to process and must be pulverized to extract genetic material. Repeated testing also consumes portions of each fragment, requiring scientists to balance current opportunities against the possibility of improved future methods.
The laboratory recently reported its first identification in a year using a combination of whole-genome sequencing and investigative genetic genealogy. Police researchers build family trees to locate possible relatives, while the medical examiner’s office confirms relationships through DNA analysis. Officials believe the technique may help identify remains that have complete profiles but do not match the roughly 17,000 reference samples submitted by families.
The continuing effort reflects a promise made after the attacks to preserve and identify every victim possible. Mark Desire, a forensic biologist injured when the south tower collapsed, has worked on the project since 2001. Searches at Ground Zero and nearby buildings continued for years, recovering thousands of additional fragments.
For families, however, new identifications can have different meanings. Some, including Monica Iken-Murphy, hope a match will provide confirmation after decades without physical remains. Others, such as Abigail Carter, prefer not to receive further notification, believing personal memories and established memorials provide sufficient closure. Officials say families may decline updates, while unidentified remains are kept in a secure repository at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum in New York City.