Inside the New York lab using genetic genealogy to identify 9/11 victims’ remains
40% of those killed in New York on 9/11 have not been matched to remains
Inside a lab in Manhattan, forensic scientists in white lab coats are still diligently working to keep a promise made 25 years ago.
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scientists → use → promise
They're extracting DNA from thousands of pieces of human remains recovered following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, trying to match them to samples from toothbrushes, razors and other sources provided by family members of victims.
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They → extract → victims
What has changed is the science they're using to draw out the DNA from the remains, and the evolving forensic investigative techniques that didn't exist in 2001.
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that → change → 2001
"When … after years of pushing that science, you're finally able to figure out who it is and return that loved one to their family … that's powerful," said Mark Desire, assistant director of forensic biology at the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
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Desire → push → Examiner
Forty per cent of the 2,753 people who died at Ground Zero have not had their remains identified, including approximately 10 of the 24 Canadian victims.
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remains → die → victims
Last month, the lab announced it made its first identification of previously unknown remains using a breakthrough technique.
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it → announce → technique
The woman's family chose to keep her name private.
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family → choose → name
It's the first identification the lab has made in a year.
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lab → make → year
The technique combines DNA testing with genetic genealogy — which uses family tree research conducted by members of the New York City Police Department.
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which → combine → Department
"I think it is sort of a new frontier," said Dr. Jason Graham, New York's Chief Medical Examiner.
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Graham → think → frontier
"We had really found a breakthrough innovation that's going to open the door, I hope and I believe, likely to many other identifications.
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I → find → identifications
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Gander → share → 9/11
For Monica Iken-Murphy, whose husband Michael Iken died in the collapse of the south tower where he worked as a bond trader, this development brings renewed hope.
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development → die → hope
"I didn't get a ring, I didn't get an ID.
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I → get → ID
People got cards.
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People → get → cards
They found papers with their names on it," she said.
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she → find → it
But for her, "it's like he went to work and that's it.
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that → go → work
Challenges of excavating, preserving remains
Desire was a rookie scientist in the New York crime lab back on Sept. 11, 2001, and was sent to the scene to preserve evidence soon after the second tower was hit.
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tower → excavate → evidence
He had never worked on a mass fatality before.
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He → work → fatality
"One of the … first victims I saw die that day landed right in front of us."
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I → die → us
Soon after Desire and his colleague arrived, he heard a sound he described as a "crack," and he realized they were far too close to the south tower as it began to collapse.
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it → arrive → tower
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He sprinted toward a nearby building to take cover and barely made it in time.
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He → come → time
Debris fell on him just as he was escaping into the building through a broken window.
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he → fall → window
"It just fell across my legs, shattered my foot — the most violent moment of my life."
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It → fall → life
He survived, and made it his mission to keep the promise made by then-chief medical examiner Dr. Charles Hirsch to preserve and identify the remains of all the victims.
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it → survive → victims
The World Trade Center was reduced to a 21-metre hill of debris that for visual reference, if spread out, could cover approximately eight city blocks.
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that → reduce → blocks
Plans were made to excavate debris from the site and move it for sifting and sorting at a landfill site on Staten Island in hopes of preserving whatever remains they could.
"Everything that destroys DNA was present at Ground Zero: the fire, the water to put out the fire, the jet fuel, the diesel fuel, the chemicals in the building, the chemicals on the ground, sunlight, mold, bacteria," said Desire.
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Desire → make → ground
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We → finish → victims
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Excavation work officially ended in 2002, but scientists continued to search for DNA in the remains they had.
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they → report → remains
Four years later, more debris was found on the roof of a nearby Deutsche Bank building, where more than 700 bone fragments were recovered.
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fragments → find → building
That led to reopening searches in the area that lasted until 2014, leading to approximately 2,000 additional bone fragments being recovered.
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fragments → lead → 2014
At first, the remains were preserved by freezing them.
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remains → preserve → them
Later, as best practices for handling remains for forensic purposes changed, they began drying the bone fragments out to preserve them longer.
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they → handle → them
Nearly 22,000 pieces of human remains have been recovered since 2001.
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pieces → recover → 2001
The science behind identifying remains
During the early years, victims were identified using fingerprints, dental records and what was then considered cutting-edge DNA technology.
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what → identify → fingerprints
Since then, science has advanced such that more DNA can be extracted from bone fragments.
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DNA → advance → fragments
But it still hasn't advanced far enough.
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it → advance → ?
Bone, Desire says, is the toughest material to get DNA from.
"Blood and hair and skin cells — easy.
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Blood → say → DNA
Bone … you have to pulverize it."
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you → have → it
He says thousands of samples that still need to be identified haven't even had DNA extracted because they're so badly burned.
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they → say → samples
…and 28 more, not listed.
The Aporia
