Mayor Adams, Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Graham Announce Three New Identifications of World Trade Center Victims
August 7, 2025
Ryan Fitzgerald, Barbara Keating, and an Unnamed Adult Woman are the Latest to be Identified in the Ongoing Effort Since 2001
NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jason Graham today announced three new identifications of victims from the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001. Ryan Fitzgerald of Floral Park, New York, Barbara Keating of Palm Springs, Calif., and an adult woman whose name is being withheld at the request of family are the 1651st, 1652nd, and 1653rd persons identified by the Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) through family outreach and advanced DNA analysis of remains recovered from the attack that took the lives of 2,753 people.
“The pain of losing a loved one in the September 11th terror attacks echoes across the decades, but with these three new identifications, we take a step forward in comforting the family members still aching from that day,” said Mayor Adams. “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.”
“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 Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Graham. “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.”
The three new identifications result from ongoing outreach to families for DNA reference samples and analysis using the advanced capabilities of the city’s DNA laboratory operated by OCME. The identification of Fitzgerald was confirmed through DNA testing of remains recovered in 2002. The identification of Keating was confirmed through DNA testing of remains first recovered in 2001. The identification of the unnamed woman was confirmed through DNA testing of remains first recovered in 2001.
The three identifications are the latest new identifications of World Trade Center victims since 2024. Some 1,100 victims — 40 percent of those who died — remain unidentified. In addition to the three new identifications this year, OCME has identified 22 human remains associated with previously identified individuals. The latest World Trade Center operational statistics are available from OCME upon request.
Established in 1918 as the nation’s first comprehensive medical examiner office, OCME provides the highest quality of service across the forensic sciences to support communities during times of profound need. The agency operates the largest and most advanced DNA public crime laboratory in North America and houses laboratories in toxicology and histology, in addition to the nation’s only public molecular genetics laboratory. OCME is home to the country’s largest forensic pathology training program, having produced more than one-fifth of the nation’s board-certified forensic pathologists since 1990. OCME also houses a department of forensic anthropology and maintains a division of specially trained experts to respond to any and all mass fatality events and disasters.