Still Finding Names After 17 Years
In the bustling labs just a few kilometres from what once was Ground Zero, a dedicated team keeps grinding bone fragments every day – because the deed of identifying 9/11 victims is too important to stop, even 17 years later.
Why It’s Harder Than You Think
Take a tiny bone piece that fell from the Twin Towers. It’s a tough nut to crack because DNA is pretty fragile—fire, mould, jet fuel and even the desert sun all took a beating at the site.
- Bone: the toughest biological material.
- Exposure to ground‑zero hazards: fire, mould, bacteria, jet and diesel fuel.
- Result: often traces of DNA are minuscule or gone.
Lab Workflow—Like a Rigorous Recipe
This isn’t a one‑off sweep. The team repeats a meticulous protocol dozens of times. The steps:
- Pick a bone fragment.
- Grind it to dust.
- Introduce two chemical agents that expose & extract DNA.
- Repeat until the best sample is found.
Even though 22,000 human remains have been checked, many have been processed 10–15 times already, and yet a few still ring empty.
Numbers That Matter
From the 2,753 confirmed dead, only 1,642 names have been officially matched. The remaining 1,111 families are waiting for a breakthrough—a wait that never stops.
“We’re Still Working…” — Mark Desire
Assistant Director for forensic biology, Mark describes the lab’s perseverance: “It’s the same 2001 protocol, but we tweaked each step out of necessity.”
Feelings in the Lab
Especially on the day the lab added the next life: Scott Michael Johnson—a 26‑year‑old analyst from the 89th floor.
“I felt really good about it,” says Veronica Cano, criminalist, “we’re trained to be impersonal, but we do get touched.” Her duty is to bring closure to families, he adds.
When Families Visit
- Lab offices sit about 2 km from the former Ground Zero.
- Families often come to thank the team.
- Emotions run high: “Hugs, thanks, and a sense of being helpful”—Cano admits.
DNA: The Key to Identification
Families play a crucial role: they must submit an DNA sample that can be compared to the remains. The forensic office has 17,000 samples, but around 100 victims lack these key pieces—making those cases nearly impossible to complete.
Impact of Discovery
Mary Fetchet, who lost her son Brad in 2001, shares, “When you’re notified, it feels like reliving that terrible day, but it also lets you give your loved one a proper burial.”
Fetchet helped launch Voices of September 11th, a support network that attends to the long‑term needs of 9/11 survivors and their families.
Experience Meets Innovation
In Manhattan, Mark remains the only original member still on the project, thrilled about new tech. He says, “We’re very close with the families—uncommon for forensic scientists. The trade center changed everything.”
Team History
The team has long walked the line of science and humanity. “Those who know me were probably in elementary school in 2001—yet now we’re the stuff of future‑proofing investigations.”
Closing Note
It’s not just a lab; it’s a bridge that ties the past, present, and future. Each day, the scientists grind, test, and hope—because when you can name a lost soul, you remember them in a way that no file can ever capture.
