Nearly 20 years to the day that terrorists slammed hijacked planes into New York's World Trade Center, the city's medical examiner has identified the remains of two of the attack's nearly 3000 victims.
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Dorothy Morgan, an insurance broker from Hempstead, and a man whose name was not released are the 1646th and 1647th victims of the September 11 2001 terror strike whose remains have been identified.
The male victim's name is being withheld at the request of his family.
The two matches were made just days apart. The identifications were made through ongoing DNA analysis of unidentified remains recovered from the disaster that claimed the lives of 2753 people.
"Twenty years ago, we made a promise to the families of World Trade Center victims to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to identify their loved ones, and with these two new identifications, we continue to fulfil that sacred obligation," Dr. Barbara A. Sampson, New York City's chief medical examiner, said in a statement.
"No matter how much time passes since September 11, 2001 we will never forget, and we pledge to use all the tools at our disposal to make sure all those who were lost can be reunited with their families."
The identification of Ms Morgan, 47, was confirmed through DNA testing of remains recovered in 2001.
The identification of the unnamed man was confirmed through DNA testing of remains recovered in 2001, 2002 and 2006.
The two identifications are the first new identifications of World Trade Center victims since October 2019.
The ongoing effort to identify victims of the attack is the largest and most complex forensic investigation in the history of the United States.
Now 20 years later, identifications of victims continue to be made possible through advances in DNA science developed and applied at the city's medical examiner's office.
Ms Morgan, a broker assisting celebrities and high-profile clients, worked in the North Tower at Marsh McLennan. She disappeared into the rubble of the collapsed towers that morning.
With no identified remains, her daughter Nykiah was never able to give her a proper burial. After more than a month, Ms Morgan was memorialised at her church, the Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral, in Queens.
Australian Associated Press
