NYC Utilizes Cutting-Edge Genealogy Tests to Identify 9/11 Victims After 25 Years

NEW YORK CITY — A quarter-century after the tragic events of 9/11, New York City remains committed to the task of formally identifying each of the nearly 3,000 victims who perished at the World Trade Center. Recently, a groundbreaking development has emerged in this ongoing quest.

For the first time, the city’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, in partnership with the NYPD Detective Bureau, has successfully identified a victim using genetic genealogy. This innovative approach merges DNA analysis with family tree research, marking a significant advancement in forensic science.

The recently identified individual, an adult woman, is the 1,651st victim officially named. Respecting the wishes of her family, her identity remains private.

“It’s a breakthrough,” remarked Dr. Jason Graham, New York City’s chief medical examiner, during a conversation with ABC News. He expressed his excitement, stating, “I’m delighted to be able for us to apply these new techniques to identify victims from the World Trade Center attack. Forensic investigative genetic genealogy has allowed us to achieve this identification for the first time in 25 years.”

Such a scientific leap would have seemed impossible 25 years ago, as the methods were not yet developed.

“The technology really wasn’t there,” said NYPD Det. Gregory Paduoano. “There’s a lot of good future with genealogy.”

Forensic investigative genetic genealogy has helped the police solve long-term unidentified cold cases. More recently, the medical examiner’s office and the police department applied it to World Trade Center identification efforts.

“We already can see that it’s promising,” said Dr. Jennifer Odien, a forensic anthropologist in the medical examiner’s office. “Not every case is going to be able to go through genetic genealogy, but we do have DNA profiles that are not matching to our reference samples, so that’s the group right now that we’re focusing on and that hopefully is going to yield more positive results.”

There are 47 profiles that may be ripe for identification using genetic genealogy, Odien said.

That represents a small fraction of the nearly 1,100 World Trade Center victims, about 40% of the total, that remain unidentified a quarter-century after the attacks. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner made a solemn pledge to never stop trying.

“The World Trade Center was the largest mass murder in the history of the United States, and it represents also the most complex forensic identification effort in our history,” Graham said. And being able to apply new innovations to that identification work is a remarkable way that we can keep our commitment to the families.”