Medical Examiner’s Meeting
July 30, 2002
DNA Hotline
Number of calls is dwindling
Hours changing from 9 am to 5 pm/7 days per week – difficulty to man 5 pm to 9pm
Will revisit after summer months
Anticipating 9/11/02 and watching call volume
Memorial Park Tours
Tour scheduling assumed by ME’s office (includes lab tour, meeting w/Dr. Hirsch in conf room regarding ID process, Memorial Park)
Increased to every Wednesday
Call hotline to schedule tour (limited to 15 people) – does not include regular Memorial Park Visits
Regular Memorial Park Visits will no longer be scheduled on Wednesday mornings
Scheduled appointments to date = 237 (evenings from 7 pm to 8 pm will be shut down probably 3rd week in August – out of 237 only 5 were in evening; majority are during 2pm to 3pm
Appropriate notification of changes to be made on website and voicemail greeting
NOTE from ME’s office – Weds 8:30 am tours – people are having difficulty being on time – callers should inquire as to nearby parking facility when scheduling
Identifications
Disaster Number Count at 19,831 – higher due to separate cases discovered in anthropology review examined before – new #’s now
1,900 unique DNA profiles can be ID’d
Receiving new data every 2 weeks
“Kinship” software loaded Thursday, 8/1
Reanalysis of DNA profiles going very well (715 reanalyzed – 184 ids)
Reanalysis of personal effects (986 reanalyzed – 255 associated with individual Ids)
In process of re-extracting from bone ~4,000 to 5,000 – process to take 25 days
Bodi (sp?) reanalyze/extract bone (not 1st time) expect 30% yield
SNIPs – create manifest, complete 1 ½ weeks
Solaria* and Gene Screen – revamp procedure past 2 weeks very promising
*Solaria tests quickly – 1,000 samples at a time
End of August/September more DNA data coming through
30Th Street & Memorial Park
30th Street to be re-opened to pedestrian and limited vehicular access
2 construction projects beginning (1 major/1 minor) – construction of new research building starting within next several months
Fence with visual screen to cover Memorial Park (cannot see thru)
ME’s office agreed if opening up access causes too much trouble/traffic – access only granted to NYU and Belleville ID
Current discussions with NYPD for security
Anniversary
ME’s office is still waiting on City plans and assures they will be prepared with enough manpower
Drying Process
Preparation for drying process (3/4 done w/WTC remains, anthropology to be done before process (important)
Formula done and moving smoothly
Ground Zero Memorial
ME’s office has not been approached by any City, Planning, etc. agency to understand what is required for entombing the unidentified remains-on the site
ME’s office has spoke among themselves if administration is aware of remains not identified for final resting place – permanent Memorial
Miscellaneous
ME’s office to provide more useful information end of this month with current number of remains claimed by families
Potentially 35 families that ME made efforts to reach unsuccessfully
~ 200 decedents where DNA is not an option due to insufficient family for DNA (i.e., adoptees) – changes possible with re-extraction with personal affects
WTC No. 2,824 includes terrorists – actual = 2,814
~ 40 illegal nationals have not come thru
NEXT MEETING – Tuesday, August 27, 2002
