New York City has identified another victim of the September 11, 2001, World Trade Center attacks using genetic genealogy, marking the first time the method has been used in the city’s 9/11 identification effort. The breakthrough, announced on August 24, comes nearly 25 years after the attacks killed almost 3,000 people.
The New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and the NYPD Detective Bureau made the identification. The victim was an adult woman whose family has chosen not to disclose her identity publicly.
She is the 1,651st World Trade Center victim to be formally identified. Nearly 1,100 victims remain unidentified.
A new method for old evidence
Genetic genealogy combines DNA testing with family tree research to connect unidentified remains with potential relatives. The approach has been used by law enforcement to resolve cold cases that remained unsolved for decades…