(UnitedReader.com) – Twenty years ago, officials promised the families of 9/11 victims that no matter how long it took, they would identify everyone the United States lost that fateful day. Nearly 20 years later, they’re still working hard to fulfill that promise, as officials recently confirmed positive identification for another two victims.
The discovery of the two identities came just days before the 20th anniversary of 9/11/2001.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for New York City says they’re using new forensic technology, as well as significant advancements in DNA sequencing, to identify victims. This process simply wasn’t available 20 years ago at the time of the attack.
Yet, there is hope the fallen will eventually come home to their families. Almost two decades went by before officials conclusively confirmed the identity of Dorothy Morgan of Hempstead, NY, and an unnamed man whose identity is being withheld at the request of his family. Morgan is the 1646th person identified by officials, while the unnamed man is the 1647th.
Tragically, their families are far from alone in losing them. An estimated 2,753 people died in the terrorist attack.
For the first time in two years, more victims have been identified thanks to new technology. https://t.co/zJO3k8Fuj6
— Rocky Mountain PBS (@rmpbs) September 8, 2021
The pair are the first names released by officials in almost two years. More than 1,100 victims remain unidentified — that accounts for almost 40% of the people who passed away as a result of the attack.
Confirmation of the man’s identity came after examining remains found in 2001, 2002 and 2006. Officials first discovered Morgan’s remains in 2001.
Chief Medical Examiner Barbara Sampson recently reaffirmed the promise her office originally made nearly two decades ago. She says they’ll never stop trying to fulfill that vow — and that the two recent identifications prove they’re on the right track.
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