Advanced DNA Technology Offers Hope for Identifying 9/11 Victims

For 25 years, Juliette Scauso has held onto only one tangible memory of her father, FDNY firefighter Dennis Scauso: his damaged helmet. Dennis, who was on shift at the World Trade Center when it collapsed on September 11, 2001, remains unidentified. He was not originally scheduled to work that day but swapped shifts for additional pay, a common occurrence that has complicated recovery efforts for first responders.

“I’ve spent essentially my entire life knowing my father died, and learning to live with the fact that we never recovered him,” said Scauso, who was just four years old when he passed away. She is one of more than 1,000 individuals killed in the New York attacks whose remains have yet to be formally identified.

Last month, the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner announced a breakthrough, using a method called forensic investigative genetic genealogy (FIGG) to identify the 1,654th victim of the terrorist attacks. Angela Soler, director of forensic anthropology at the office, expressed optimism about the future of these investigations.

“There is real promise in using this approach,” Soler stated. “There’s hope for more families to receive answers, and hopefully we’ll be able to test more remains in the future using this technology as well.”

The identification process has been extraordinarily complex. The extreme heat from jet fuel fires and the structural collapse of the towers resulted in fragmented human remains, leaving investigators with only small samples for DNA analysis. Additionally, chaos at the scene meant many firefighters donned gear belonging to others, further obscuring identities.

While remains from the Pentagon and Flight 93 crashes were largely identifiable through traditional means like fingerprints and dental records, the sheer volume of victims at the World Trade Center presented unique challenges. So far, 60% of the 2,753 victims who died at the site have been identified, with DNA playing a crucial role in 1,495 cases.

Soler explained that FIGG utilizes whole genome sequencing, allowing investigators to find matches with distant relatives. The New York Police Department then assists in tracing closer family connections. This retesting of preserved remains continues to yield results as scientific capabilities advance.

The emotional toll on families remains significant. The medical examiner’s office receives weekly inquiries from loved ones seeking information. For some, the prospect of notification is daunting. Scauso noted that while she supports the scientific progress, she fears reopening old wounds after two and a half decades of grief.

“At this point, an identification wouldn’t change the reality of his death. It wouldn’t give me back my father, and I don’t necessarily want to reopen something that has become part of the way I’ve learned to live and grieve,” she said.

Nevertheless, Soler emphasized that confirmation provides a sense of finality for many. “Maybe they’re reliving it a little bit more now… But at the same time, it closes one chapter of their journey after 9/11,” she observed.

Despite acknowledging that not every victim may ever be identified due to the absence of recoverable remains, Soler and her colleagues—many of whom were present at Ground Zero during the attacks—remain committed. “As long as there’s families looking for answers, we’ll continue searching for them,” she said.