“Correct. And I wish I could take credit for developing it, but I can’t. I’m only peripherally involved in the identification process. That’s handled by Dr. Arthur Trudeau who, along with his team of scientists and technicians, works tirelessly each day on the 9/11 project.”

“Tell me about the process. Again, I hope to come back later in the summer and formally interview you on camera. Dr. Trudeau, as well.”

Livia nodded. “That could certainly be arranged. I, too, find it fascinating. Here’s how it works. Typically, extracting DNA from bone is straightforward. A scraping is taken from the bone’s surface to obtain bone cells. DNA is then extracted from those cells using EDTA and proteinase K, which are enzymes that break down the cell wall and allow the DNA to spill out. If you want to get into the weeds on the chemistry of how it works, I’m happy to.”

Avery shook her head. “No thanks. We’ll find a way to more easily explain the process when we get to that point. For now, I’ll take your word for it. It’s a simple process if you say so.”

Livia offered a smile. “It’s the classic method, or the gold standard. Performed every day at crime labs across the country. But most of the bone harvested from Ground Zero was too badly burned to extract DNA from the surface. Remember, the jet fuel burned at two thousand degrees for more than one hundred hours. Some of the bodies were likely incinerated completely to ash. But the remains that were found were brought to the New York ME’s office for identification. The remains that could not be immediately identified were stored and preserved for later analysis. That analysis has been ongoing for years and is still happening today, twenty years later. This latest identification came from a new process of pulverizing the bone nearly to ash, and then taking the residue from the innermost aspect of the bone, the area that was furthest from the damaging flames, and extracting DNA from the cells we find there. It’s proven to be quite effective. We’re optimistic that many more IDs will follow.”

“Fascinating,” Avery said. “And the family of the victim who was identified? How is the discovery presented to them?”

“There’s a protocol in place for every family that has provided us with DNA samples. First a phone call is made, and then an in-person visit is scheduled.”

“Do you make the visits?”

“No. That’s left for Dr. Trudeau.”

“The most recent identification. It was of a woman named Victoria Ford,” Avery said. “Can you tell me anything about her or her family?”

“I only know as much as Dr. Trudeau told me. The victim’s parents are no longer living. She was married but had no children. Her husband has remarried, so her sister was the next of kin. That was who Dr. Trudeau met with.”