On Tuesday, New York City’s Chief Medical Examiner’s Office said it has identified two more victims. It came just days before the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks. It’s been nearly 2 decades since the 9/11 incident and just 60% of the people who died that day have been officially identified. The medical examiner’s office said in a statement that Dorothy Morgan, of Hempstead, New York, and a man whose name has been withheld at the request of his family have become the 1,646th and 1,647th people to be identified through DNA analysis of remains collected from the World Trade Center in the aftermath of the attacks. Morgan’s remains were uncovered in 2001, while the man’s remains were uncovered in 2001, 2006, and 2008.
New York City’s chief medical examiner, Dr. Barbara A. Sampson issued a statement. She said, “We made a promise to the families of World Trade Center victims twenty years ago to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to identify their loved ones, and with these 2 new identifications, we continue to fulfill that sacred obligation. No matter how much time passes since September 11, 2001, we will never forget, and we pledge to use all the tools at our disposal to make sure all those who were lost can be reunited with their families”. More announcements about the recent development are expected on Wednesday.
The medical examiner’s office also said that the overall 2,753 people died in New York City that day meaning just over 40% of those who died have not been officially identified. The two identifications are the first to be announced in nearly 2 years. The last was in October 2019. The medical examiner’s office said the effort to identify the victims is the largest and most complex forensic investigation in the history of the United States. The office heralded advances in DNA science, which it said promises to result in more new identifications. The medical examiner’s office will hold a press conference on Wednesday at 12 p.m. EST to discuss the new identifications.