Ahead of 22nd anniversary of 9/11, NYC medical examiner IDs remains of 2 victims

Sept. 8 (UPI) -- The New York City Chief Medical Examiner has identified the remains of two victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, ahead of Monday's 22-year anniversary of the event, according to the New York mayor's office.

"New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jason Graham today announced two identifications of victims from the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001," the mayor's office said in a press release Friday.

The mayor's office says the remains were identified via DNA.

"The man and woman, whose names are being withheld at the request of their families, are the 1,648th and 1,649th persons to be identified by the Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) using advanced DNA testing of remains recovered from the attack that took the lives of 2,753 people," the mayor's office said.

The last time victims of the attacks were identified was in September of 2021.

"We hope these new identifications can bring some measure of comfort to the families of these victims, and the ongoing efforts by the Office of Chief Medical Examiner attest to the city's unwavering commitment to reunite all the World Trade Center victims with their loved ones," said Adams.

Chief Medical Examiner Graham credited new scientific breakthroughs for helping identify the victims.

"Faced with the largest and most complex forensic investigation in the history of our country, we stand undaunted in our mission to use the latest advances in science to serve this promise," Graham said.

The remains of the identified man were recovered in 2001, while the woman's remains were discovered in 2001, 2006 and 2013.

According to the mayor's office, 1,104 victims remain unidentified, accounting for about 40% of the victims.