NEW YORK – Dorothy Morgan of Hempstead is person number 1,646, and a man whose name was not released at the request of his family is person number 1,647 to be identified through ongoing DNA analysis of unidentified remains recovered from the disaster that killed 2,753 people on Sept. 11, 2001, authorities said.
Morgan’s identity was confirmed by DNA testing of remains recovered in 2001. The identity of the anonymous man was confirmed by DNA testing of remains recovered in 2001, 2002 and 2006.
The two identifications are the first to be released since October 2019. Some 1,106 victims, or 40% of those who died, remain unidentified.
“Twenty years ago, we made a promise to the families of the victims of the World Trade Center to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to identify their loved ones, and with these two new identifications, we continue to fulfill that sacred obligation, ”said Dr. Barbara Sampson, New York City’s Chief Medical Examiner, in a statement. York. “No matter how long since September 11, 2001, we will never forget it, and we are committed to using all the tools at our disposal to ensure that all those who were lost can be reunited with their families.”
The ongoing effort to identify the victims of the attack on the World Trade Center it is the largest and most complex forensic investigation in the history of the United States.
Now, 20 years later, the identification of the victims of the World Trade Center it is still made possible by advances in DNA science developed and applied at OCME.
The recent adoption of next-generation sequencing technology by OCME’s DNA laboratory promises to result in more new identifications. More sensitive and faster than conventional DNA techniques, the US military has used next-generation sequencing to identify the remains of missing American service members.
“We continue to push science out of necessity to make more identifications,” said Mark Desire, deputy director of OCME’s Department of Forensic Biology and manager of the World Trade Center DNA Identification Team, in a statement. “The commitment today is as strong as it was in 2001.”
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