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Nearly 25 years after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, a new forensic identification technique has helped New York City officials identify another victim of the World Trade Center attacks.

The adult woman, whose name is being withheld at her family’s request, became the first 9/11 victim formally identified through forensic investigative genetic genealogy, a method that combines advanced DNA analysis with genealogical research.

She is the 1,654th victim identified by the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner since the attacks.

A New Forensic Identification After Decades of Work

The identification was announced Aug. 24 by New York City officials and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, in collaboration with the New York Police Department.

Officials said the breakthrough demonstrates how advances in forensic science can reopen avenues that were not always available. Investigators began examining remains recovered from the World Trade Center nearly a quarter-century ago.

The woman is among the victims whose remains had not previously been matched with available reference samples. Her family has chosen not to publicly disclose her identity.

Over 1,000 World Trade Center Victims Remain Unidentified

The identification brings the number of formally identified World Trade Center victims to 1,654. Of the 2,753 people killed in New York City on Sept. 11, approximately 1,099, or about 40%, remain unidentified. The latest identification is the first since August 2025, when three victims were identified through advanced DNA analysis and family outreach.

New York City Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jason Graham described the development as a significant breakthrough in the long-running effort to identify those killed in the attacks.

Graham said the medical examiner's office is committed to applying new scientific techniques as they become available, emphasizing that the effort is intended to provide answers to families who have waited for decades.

How Genetic Genealogy Works

Forensic investigative genetic genealogy, commonly known as FIGG, combines specialized DNA testing with genealogical investigation. Rather than relying exclusively on a direct DNA match with an existing reference sample, investigators can use genetic information to develop potential biological relationships and construct family connections.

Those investigative leads are then subjected to additional forensic review. According to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, potential identifications generated through FIGG are confirmed through DNA or other forensic methodologies before an identification is formally established.

The approach has become an important tool in criminal investigations and unidentified-person cases because it can provide leads when conventional database searches do not produce a match.

For the World Trade Center investigation, the technique offers another possible route for remains that have resisted identification through earlier methods. The city's medical examiner's office said it has identified a group of DNA profiles that do not match reference samples currently available and is evaluating which cases may be appropriate for genetic genealogy.

This Forensic Identification Technology Did Not Exist in 2001

The significance of the development is partly rooted in how much DNA technology has changed since the attacks.

In the years immediately following Sept. 11, investigators faced an unprecedented forensic challenge. Thousands of remains and fragments were recovered from the World Trade Center site, and many were severely damaged by the fires, building collapses and subsequent conditions at Ground Zero.

Traditional DNA identification methods generally depend on comparing genetic material from unidentified remains with reference samples from relatives or other known sources. When those comparisons do not produce a match, investigators may have limited options.

Genetic genealogy expands that investigative toolbox by allowing specialists to examine biological relationships and family-tree connections that may not have been apparent through conventional searches.

Dr. Jennifer Odien, a forensic anthropologist with the medical examiner's office, said the technique appears promising but cautioned that it will not necessarily work in every unidentified case. Officials are focusing on profiles for which genetic genealogy may provide useful leads.

NYPD Detective Gregory Paduano similarly noted that the technology available today was not an option when the original identification effort began.

Forensic Identification Remains a Commitment to Victims' Families

The latest identification does not end the city's work. Officials say they will continue analyzing remains and applying new forensic techniques in an effort to identify additional victims.

The medical examiner's office also continues to connect remains to victims who have already been identified. City officials said three such links were recently confirmed through a combination of genetic genealogy, DNA reference samples obtained through renewed family outreach and continued testing of remains recovered after the attacks.

The work is conducted under the jurisdiction of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, which maintains the World Trade Center Repository at the 9/11 Memorial site. The repository provides a secure and dignified location for remains while the identification process continues.

Forensic Identification Solves Mysteries

For families of unidentified victims, each new identification can provide an answer to a question that has remained unresolved since 2001.

Nearly 25 years after the attacks, the latest breakthrough illustrates the continuing role of forensic science in one of the most extensive identification efforts in U.S. history.

As DNA analysis and genetic genealogy become increasingly sophisticated, investigators now have tools that could not have been imagined when the World Trade Center identification process began.

Additional Information

• New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner announcement
• ABC News report on the genetic genealogy identification
• World Trade Center Repository — NYC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
• New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
• 2025 World Trade Center victim identifications