9/11 victim Scott Michael Johnson identified using new DNA analysis techniques

The remains of a 26-year-old man who died on September 11 were identified Wednesday by the New York medical examiner's office, thanks to advances in DNA analysis.

Authorities said the remains belonged to Scott Michael Johnson, who worked on the 89th floor of the South Tower of the World Trade Center as a security analyst for Keefe.

Johnson is the 1,642nd person identified among the 2,753 people killed in the terrorist attack, according to the New York Times reported.

A team of experts from the medical examiner's office made repeated unsuccessful attempts to identify a bone found in the debris of the World Trade Center since the 2001 terrorist attack.

However, using new techniques, they were able to take DNA from the bone and compare it to a database containing 17,000 reference samples from the victims and their family members, according to reports. A positive identification was then made.

“As a forensic pathologist, you are trained to be neutral and impartial,” Mark Desire, the office's deputy director of forensic biology, told the newspaper. “But with the World Trade Center investigation, it's a different type of case and when you meet the families, the hugs and the thank yous, it becomes emotional for them and it really helps them continue to improve this process.”

Johnson's family said the discovery gave them closure. His mother cried when she heard the news.

“You’re immediately brought back to it and that also means there’s a finality. Somehow I always thought he would walk up and say, “Here I am.” I had amnesia,” Ann Johnson told the newspaper.

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