New York City Medical Examiner Identifies 9/11 Victim After More Than Two Decades: Latest DNA Analysis and Efforts

2024-01-18 23:58:40
Approximately 40 percent of the victims of the attack on the World Trade Center have not yet been identified (EFE)

The remains of a Long Island man killed at the World Trade Center on 9/11 have been identified more than two decades following the 2001 attacks, the New York City medical examiner’s office announced Thursday.

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John Ballantine Niven was a 44-year-old executive at Aon Risk Services, an insurance firm on the 105th floor of the two-tower tower in the mall complex, according to obituaries at the time. He and his young family divided their time between Manhattan and Oyster Bay, where he grew up.

Ellen Niven, his wife, said Thursday that she and their son Jack, who was just 18 months old when his father died, are grateful for the “extraordinary efforts” of city officials continuing the difficult task of identifying the remains. of the victims.

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“It is certainly emotional for me, and I am sure for many others, to hear many years later that DNA has been found,” she wrote in an email. “It’s a true tribute to New York City and the teams who worked behind the scenes all these years to honor that ‘Never Forget’ mantra. My son and I are very grateful for this tremendous effort.”

Niven is the 1,650th identified victim of the deadliest terrorist act on American soil, when hijackers crashed planes into the Twin Towers, killing 2,753 people.

The medical examiner’s office has been using advanced DNA analysis to identify victims’ remains in recent years (EFE/EPA/Ted S. Warren / POOL/Archive)

“While the pain of the enormous losses of 9/11 never leaves us, the possibility of new identifications can offer comfort to the families of the victims,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement. “I am grateful for the continued work of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner honoring the memory of John Ballantine Niven and all those we lost.”

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The medical examiner’s office has been using advanced DNA analysis to identify victims’ remains in recent years.

Before the anniversary of the attacks last September, the office identified the remains of a man and a woman, although their names were not made public at the request of their relatives.

“We will always remember our heroes who perished on 9/11 and appreciate the continued efforts of forensic experts to help identify the victims,” Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino said in a separate statement. “We are hopeful that this incredible technological advancement will help bring peace to Mr. Niven’s family and allow him to rest eternally in peace.”

About 40 percent of the victims of the World Trade Center attack have yet to be identified, as few complete bodies were recovered when the giant towers collapsed.

But as DNA testing has evolved, so have efforts to connect more than 21,900 remains to individual victims. In some cases, scientists have returned to the same pieces 10 or more times, hoping that new technology will provide answers.

The September 11 attacks killed nearly 3,000 people in New York, the Pentagon and near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

(With information from AP)

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