Two 9/11 Victims Identified After 22 Years
In a significant development, New York officials have announced the identification of two victims from the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, a full 22 years after the tragic event. The names of the man and woman are being kept confidential at the request of their families. This brings the total number of identified victims to 1,648 and 1,649, as revealed by Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jason Graham.
Advanced DNA testing played a pivotal role in these identifications. The cutting-edge technology utilized is known as next-generation sequencing, which has previously been employed to identify missing U.S. service members and victims of natural disasters like the Maui wildfires.
“As we prepare to mark the anniversary of September 11, our thoughts turn to those we lost on that terrible morning and their families who continue to live every day with the pain of missing loved ones,” said Mayor Adams. “We hope these new identifications can bring some measure of comfort to the families of these victims, and the ongoing efforts by the Office of Chief Medical Examiner attest to the city’s unwavering commitment to reunite all the World Trade Center victims with their loved ones.”
Dr. Graham emphasized that these identifications represent a solemn pledge made by his office to return the remains of 9/11 victims to their families. Despite the enormity and complexity of the forensic investigation, the commitment to leveraging the latest scientific advances remains unwavering.
The 9/11 attacks in 2001, which targeted the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a plane that crashed in Pennsylvania, resulted in the tragic loss of nearly 3,000 lives. The newly identified man’s remains were recovered in 2001, while the woman’s remains were retrieved in 2001, 2006, and 2013.
This identification marks the first since 2021, yet over 1,000 victims still await recognition. Their unidentified remains are currently stored at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center site.
This development serves as a poignant reminder of the enduring impact of the 9/11 tragedy on families and the nation, as efforts continue to bring closure to those affected by this historic event.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)