Despite continuous efforts, 1,103 victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York City remain unidentified, leaving many families grappling with uncertainty.
Charles G. Wolf, who led the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, does not expect the remains of his wife, Katherine, to ever be identified. Katherine is among the 40% of victims for whom no DNA match has been found.
Wolf recalls knowing instantly that Katherine, who was on the 97th floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center on the day of the attacks, was gone when Flight 11 crashed into the building. “It was gone. Just like that. I knew instantly, it was a twin-engine jet at full throttle,” Wolf told The Post.
The Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) in New York City continues its efforts to identify the victims, making significant progress with new technology. In the past year alone, they have developed 37 new DNA profiles, although none have yet been matched to the remaining unidentified victims.
“This is not only the largest forensic investigation in the history of the United States, but it is also the most difficult,” said Mark Desire, Assistant Director of the OCME.
Despite these advancements, results have been slow. The most recent identification occurred in January, when cutting-edge DNA sequencing technology was used to identify John Ballantine Niven, a new father who was on the 105th floor of the South Tower during the attacks. Four months earlier, the remains of a man and woman were identified, but their names were withheld at the request of their families.
Approximately 7,000 human remains, some as small as the tip of a fingernail, have been in the city’s possession for two decades, awaiting identification. However, technology has often been too slow to keep pace with the challenges posed by the extreme conditions at Ground Zero.
“The fragmentation, the jet fuel, the fire, the water, bacteria, sunlight — all those things destroy DNA. Everything was present at Ground Zero,” Desire explained. He was on the ground when the second tower collapsed.
In many cases, experts are waiting for further technological advances before retesting some samples. Many fragments are so small that further testing risks destroying the last remaining evidence. “Some of these fragments, you only get so many chances,” Desire noted. “When you’re dealing with smaller and smaller families, you know you may only have one shot left at this particular fragment. It gets very stressful.”
The OCME is also exploring new techniques, including genetic genealogy, similar to that used to identify the Gilgo Beach victims, and cross-referencing unidentified victims’ personal belongings. However, Desire warns that it is likely not every victim will be identified.
Wolf, who believes his wife is among those who may never be identified, said, “I thought she was about probably 15 feet from what would have been the body of the aircraft, the wings — Fuel tanks are in the wings. The percussive impact, the kinetic energy from that plane coming in, would have blown her body and everybody else’s body apart, and then the fire that erupted a couple of seconds later when the explosion actually took place.”
He has handed over several of his wife’s belongings, including her hairbrush, to the OCME but has since lost hope of any remains being matched with her. “We need to thank our lucky stars that our people didn’t have to suffer or make the decision to stay and burn to death or jump,” Wolf said, holding back tears.
For Wolf, there is some comfort in believing that his wife did not suffer. “There’s nothing there. So I have felt liberated. And that is what that is. One of the big things that gave me peace is she didn’t know it happened.” He even consulted with a medium who claimed to have connected him with his late wife, confirming she “never felt a thing.”
The OCME continues to work diligently on the case, using new technologies and methodologies to make progress. Approximately 70% of the remains collected from the devastation have been matched to victims, with 1,650 identifications made over the past 23 years.
“We’re making identifications every year and we’ll continue to move forward and advance the science and come up with these great techniques to identify even more victims,” Desire said.
Unidentified remains, along with remains that have not been claimed by relatives, were relocated in 2014 to a 2,500-square-foot repository beneath the World Trade Center memorial in Lower Manhattan. This facility, which includes a reflection room, offers families a private space to remember their loved ones.
