As the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks approaches, the work of identifying victims is still underway. For the first time, a woman has been identified using forensic genetic genealogy, which combines DNA testing and genealogical research. His family has chosen not to reveal his identity.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) announced on Monday, August 24, the identification of a previously unknown victim of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center using this technique, in collaboration with the New York City Police Department (NYPD).
“The identification of this victim through forensic genetic genealogy is a shining example of what can be accomplished when we combine cutting-edge technology with an unwavering commitment to victims. We will continue our efforts until all the answers are found and every grieving family can finally achieve the peace and serenity they deserve,” the mayor said.
Since 2001, forensic scientists have been trying to identify the remains of the World Trade Center victims using the most advanced forensic techniques.
“A major breakthrough”
As the New York City Hall website explains, the Foundation for the Preservation of Human Remains (FIGG) “combines specialized DNA technologies with genealogical investigative techniques to produce identification leads that are then confirmed by OCME using DNA or other forensic methodologies.”
“This is a major breakthrough,” Dr. Jason Graham, New York City’s chief medical examiner, told ABC News. “I am pleased to be able to announce that we have applied new methods to the World Trade Center identification efforts and that, for the first time in 25 years, we have made a new identification using innovative methods of forensic genetic investigation.”
A bone fragment is prepared for DNA analysis in a laboratory at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in New York, April 15, 2014. Bebeto Matthews, AP
This technology was not ready in 2001 during the attacks. It makes it possible to compare traces of DNA found at a crime scene to the databases of private companies which offer, for remuneration, tests to individuals wishing to know more about their origins.
Forensic genetic analysis has since helped police solve long-standing unsolved cases. “We’re already seeing promising results,” Jennifer Odien, a forensic anthropologist at the New York medical examiner’s office, told ABC News. “Not all cases will be able to be solved by genetic genealogy, but we have DNA profiles that do not match our reference samples. So that is the group we are focusing our efforts on now, and we hope to see more positive results.”
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More than 1,000 unidentified victims
This adult female’s identification is the most recent since August 2025. She is the 1,654e person to be formally identified, but his family has chosen not to speak publicly and not to reveal his identity. Some 1,099 victims, or 40 percent of the nearly 3,000 people who died when hijacked planes slammed into the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, remain unidentified.
“The administration will continue this work in the months and years to come, using all available scientific tools to identify victims and provide answers to families waiting for news,” insisted New York City Hall in its press release.
Since 2014, the unidentified remains have been transferred to a repository located 70 feet underground, inside the 9/11 Memorial Museum structure. As described on the memorial website, this repository is only accessible to OCME staff. A private space reserved for the families of the victims of September 11, called a “recollection room”, is however located nearby.
Officials carry a coffin containing the unidentified remains of victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks as they return to the World Trade Center site May 10, 2014 in New York, United States. Jason DeCrow, PA
