NEW YORK — Nearly 25 years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, New York City forensic investigators have used genetic genealogy for the first time to identify a victim of the World Trade Center disaster, opening a new avenue in one of the most difficult forensic identification efforts ever undertaken in the United States.
The New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner and the New York Police Department Detective Bureau used the technique to identify an adult woman whose family has chosen not to release her name publicly, according to officials interviewed by ABC News. The method combines DNA analysis with genealogical research to establish biological relationships and trace family connections. (ABC News)
The development comes as New York approaches the 25th anniversary of the attacks, in which 2,753 people were killed at the World Trade Center. Despite decades of forensic work and major advances in DNA technology, the remains of roughly 1,100 victims have still not been formally identified. (New York City Government)
Dr. Jason Graham, New York City’s chief medical examiner, described the application of forensic investigative genetic genealogy to the World Trade Center effort as a significant scientific advance.
“It’s a breakthrough,” Graham told ABC News, saying the city was now able to apply methods that did not exist when the attacks occurred. (ABC News)
Forensic genetic genealogy has become an increasingly important investigative tool in the United States, particularly in cold cases involving unidentified remains. Rather than relying solely on a direct DNA match with a known family member or existing database entry, investigators can analyze genetic relationships and construct family trees that may eventually lead to an identification.
That approach could be particularly important in the World Trade Center investigation, where some DNA profiles recovered from remains have not matched reference samples supplied by victims’ families.
Dr. Jennifer Odien, a forensic anthropologist with the medical examiner’s office, said investigators have identified 47 DNA profiles that could potentially be suitable for the genetic-genealogy approach. Not every unidentified case will qualify, she said, but officials believe the method could produce additional results. (ABC News)
The identification effort has posed extraordinary scientific challenges since 2001. The collapse of the Twin Towers subjected human remains to extreme heat, pressure and fragmentation, leaving many samples badly degraded. Investigators have repeatedly returned to previously tested material as new laboratory techniques became available.
Over the years, the medical examiner’s office has adopted increasingly sensitive forms of DNA testing, including next-generation sequencing. The technology can obtain genetic information from samples that previously produced little or no usable material.
New York officials announced three additional World Trade Center victim identifications in August 2025, including Ryan Fitzgerald of Floral Park, New York; Barbara Keating of Palm Springs, California; and a woman whose family requested that her identity remain private. Those identifications were made through renewed family outreach and advanced DNA analysis of remains recovered after the attacks. (New York City Government)
The city’s forensic operation has continued long after the recovery phase at Ground Zero ended. The Office of Chief Medical Examiner maintains biological evidence from the disaster and continues to seek DNA reference samples from relatives of victims whose remains have not been identified.
Family members can still provide DNA samples through the city to assist in the effort, according to New York City’s 311 system. (NYC311)
The World Trade Center identification program has also helped drive advances in forensic science. Officials have described the effort as the largest and most complex forensic investigation in the nation’s history, requiring scientists to develop and refine techniques capable of working with severely compromised DNA. (New York City Government)
The introduction of genetic genealogy adds another tool to that effort at a moment when the attacks are moving further into history and younger generations of relatives may become increasingly important sources of reference DNA.
For investigators, the goal remains unchanged: identify as many victims as science will allow and return remains to their families.
Graham said the ability to introduce new technologies decades after the attacks reflects the city’s continuing commitment to those families.
As New York prepares to mark a quarter-century since Sept. 11, the latest development underscores a defining reality of the identification effort: the passage of time has not ended the work. Instead, advances in forensic science are giving investigators new opportunities to answer questions that once appeared beyond the reach of technology.
