“All they found of my father was his firefighter’s helmet”: why so many victims remain unidentified 25 years after 9/11

Marking 25 years since the terrorist attacks of Tuesday, September 11, 2001, international coverage has revisited the ongoing impact and unresolved processes stemming from the disaster. In under two hours that day, four hijacked commercial aircraft were used as weapons, causing the collapse of the Twin Towers in New York, a fire at the Pentagon, and the crash of a fourth plane in a Pennsylvania field following a passenger revolt.

A quarter-century later, the aftermath continues to affect families and legal proceedings profoundly. While judicial processes and the status of the case against the accused remain points of focus, many victims still remain unidentified. Personal accounts, such as that of Juliette Scauso—whose father, firefighter Dennis Scauso of a hazardous materials unit, left behind only a shattered helmet as the sole physical trace of his death—highlight the enduring difficulty of recovery and identification efforts.