25 years after the September 11 attacks, the search for answers has not ended yet. Inside New York City's Office of Chief Medical Examiner, scientists are still examining tiny fragments recovered from Ground Zero, hoping that advances in DNA technology can finally give families something they have waited decades for: a name and a place to lay their loved one to rest. The painstaking work, highlighted by the New York Post on the 25th anniversary of the attacks, continues under forensic biology specialist Mark Desire and his team.How many 9/11 victims have been identified?The World Trade Centre attacks killed 2,753 people. As of August 24, 2026, New York City's medical examiner had identified 1,654 victims, leaving 1,099 whose remains have not been positively identified. The latest identification was significant because it was the first 9/11 victim identified using forensic investigative genetic genealogy (FIGG). FIGG combines advanced DNA analysis with genealogical research. Instead of requiring a direct DNA match from a close relative, scientists can use genetic links to build a family tree and narrow down the possible identity. A 2024 paper in the Journal of Forensic Sciences described investigative genetic genealogy as an increasingly effective method for unidentified human remains, particularly when traditional DNA techniques struggle with degraded or limited samples.Image courtesy: NY Post/James KeivomWhy is the identification process taking so long?The scale and condition of the recovered material made the World Trade Center investigation an extraordinary forensic challenge. In 2025, NPR reported that the medical examiner's office had tested all 21,905 recovered remains, ranging from larger fragments to tiny pieces of bone. But years of technological progress have been necessary to extract usable genetic material from some of them. Desire explained the process to NPR, saying: “We just keep going back to those samples where there was no DNA.” New techniques can sometimes succeed where earlier testing produced nothing.The National Institute of Justice has previously noted that DNA became particularly important in the 9/11 identification effort because many remains were fragmented and heavily degraded. Reference material could come from relatives or even personal belongings such as toothbrushes and hairbrushes.For some families, the wait is finally endingOne of the most striking recent cases involved Barbara Keating, who was aboard American Airlines Flight 11 when it crashed into the North Tower. Keating's remains were identified nearly 24 years after the attacks. On the eve of the 25th anniversary, her family was preparing to finally lay her to rest beside her husband. Her son Paul Keating told NPR: “We carved the headstone 25 years ago, but she wasn't there, and now she will be.” Her story illustrates why the laboratory's work remains important even after a quarter of a century. The families already knew their relatives had died. What remained missing was physical confirmation.A promise that has lasted 25 yearsThe effort is no longer simply about identifying bones or generating DNA profiles. It is about allowing families to complete a chapter that has remained unfinished since September 11, 2001. The science has changed dramatically since the attacks, but the objective has remained the same. As DNA analysis and genetic genealogy continue to improve, investigators are returning to fragments that once appeared impossible to identify.Twenty-five years later, the work is therefore not just about looking back at 9/11. It is about ensuring that, for as many families as possible, the names remembered every September 11 can finally be connected to remains returned home.