NEED TO KNOW
- On Aug. 7, the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner announced the identifications of three more victims of the 9/11 attacks, made possible by advanced DNA analysis
- Of the 2,753 people who were killed in the World Trade Center attack, about 1,100 victims remain unidentified
- “Our commitment to identify the missing and return them to their loved ones stands as strong as ever,” said Dr. Jason Graham, the chief medical examiner
Almost 24 years after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, three more victims who perished in the tragedy have finally been identified.
In a news release shared with PEOPLE on Thursday, Aug. 7, the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) announced Ryan Fitzgerald of Floral Park, N.Y., Barbara Keating of Palm Springs, Calif., and an adult woman, whose name is being withheld at the request of her family, as the 1651st, 1652nd, and 1653rd persons identified.
Their identifications were made possible by advanced DNA analysis of remains recovered from the attack, along with family outreach, said the OCME.
The OCME added that Fitzgerald’s identification was confirmed through DNA testing of remains initially recovered in 2002, while the identifications of Keating and the unidentified woman were based on remains first retrieved in 2001.
According to his obituary, as reported by CW affiliate WPIX, Fitzgerald had recently begun working in the foreign currency exchange desk at Fiduciary Trust before his death. As the oldest of three children, Fitzgerald had also just started living on his own in Manhattan, per the obit. Fitzgerald, who was a fan of the New York Yankees and Dave Matthews Band, was 26.
Keating, a 72-year-old grandmother who had worked as an executive director of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Middlesex in Massachusetts, divided her time between Cape Cod and Palm Springs. She was heading back to California after visiting her grandchildren on the East Coast when she was killed on American Airlines Flight 11, read an obituary.
About 2,753 people were killed in the World Trade Center attack on Sept. 11, 2001. The remains of about 1,100 victims are unidentified, the OCME said.
“Nearly 25 years after the disaster at the World Trade Center, our commitment to identify the missing and return them to their loved ones stands as strong as ever,” said Dr. Jason Graham, the chief medical examiner, per the news release. “Each new identification testifies to the promise of science and sustained outreach to families despite the passage of time. We continue this work as our way of honoring the lost.”
New York City Mayor Eric Adams issued a press statement following the announcement of the three latest identifications.
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“The pain of losing a loved one in the September 11th terror attacks echoes across the decades,” he said, “but with these three new identifications, we take a step forward in comforting the family members still aching from that day. As a former law enforcement officer who served our city on 9/11, I understand deeply the feeling of loss so many families have experienced. We hope the families receiving answers from the Office of Chief Medical Examiner can take solace in the city’s tireless dedication to this mission.”
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