Nine-year-old discoveries confirm three additional individuals as 9/11 attack casualties, utilizing recent DNA testing techniques.
Three Victims of the September 11 Attacks Identified Through Advances in DNA Technology
After nearly two decades, the remains of three individuals who perished in the September 11 attacks in New York City have been identified through the use of advanced DNA technology. Among them is Barbara Keating, a longtime public servant and a friend to many, who was remembered for her selfless acts.
Barbara Keating, a dedicated helper, was a familiar figure to her friends in Massachusetts, often driving people for cancer treatments and rarely vocal about her kindness. Eunice Maloney, a close friend, recounted that Keating was consistently dedicated to helping others, and even in her last visit to Cape Cod before moving to Palm Springs, California, she left a note expressing her happiness for their friendship, which Maloney interpreted as a potential indication that Keating would not be returning.
Keating's remains were first discovered at the World Trade Center site in 2001 but could not be identified until recent advances in DNA technology. DNA samples from Keating's son and a hairbrush belonging to her were crucial in confirming her identity. This identification is part of a sustained scientific and family outreach effort by New York's medical examiner's office, which has identified over 1,650 victims so far.
Another individual identified was Ryan Fitzgerald, a 26-year-old foreign currency trader from Floral Park, who was remembered as a "man on the town" who had just started making a life for himself in Manhattan. His mother, Diane Parks, was glad he went to a friend's bachelor party in August, a month before he was killed.
Twenty-four years after the terrorist attack, around 1,100 victims of the September 11 attacks in New York City remain officially unidentified. The city is dedicated to comforting the families of the unidentified victims still aching from that day, as Mayor Eric Adams stated that the recent identifications of three victims hope to support the families' grief and memories from the September 11th terror attacks.
This ongoing process involves repeatedly retesting remains as DNA forensic methods improve, matching DNA from remains with genetic material from relatives and personal items, and collecting reference DNA samples from relatives. These efforts have allowed more victims' remains to be positively identified long after the initial recovery.
American Airlines Flight 11, which took off from Boston on Sept. 11, 2001, was hijacked and crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center. Barbara Keating was on this flight, making her last visit to Cape Cod before moving to California.
In memory of Barbara Keating and Ryan Fitzgerald, their lives and selfless acts will continue to inspire those who knew them and serve as a reminder of the ongoing efforts to find closure for the victims' families.
[1] New York Times [2] CBS News [3] NBC News [4] Associated Press [5] Boston Globe
Politics often unfolds in the backdrop of war-and-conflicts, and the recent identifications of victims from the September 11 attacks, like Barbara Keating and Ryan Fitzgerald, have stirred a general news discussion about the continuous improvements in crime-and-justice and DNA technology. The advances in DNA technology have enabled the medical examiner's office in New York City to identify over 1,650 victims so far, providing a glimpse of hope for the families of the 1,100 unidentified victims still yearning for closure.
