9/11 Victim Barbara Keating Finally Laid to Rest 25 Years Later After DNA Identification

Barbara Keating was 72 years old, a retired Big Brothers Big Sisters chapter leader, a mom of five, and a grandmother of 12 when she boarded American Airlines Flight 11, heading home to California after visiting family. She never made it home. Her son Paul watched the attacks from New Jersey, unaware his mother was on one of the hijacked planes.

For 25 years, her family had a headstone in Framingham, Massachusetts with her name on it and an empty space beside her husband. Last year, forensic DNA researchers identified her remains, and this week, on the 25th anniversary of 9/11, her family will gather privately to finally lay her to rest.“We carved the headstone 25 years ago, but she wasn’t there, and now she will be,”Paul said.

The Keating family’s story is one of roughly 1,100 still waiting. About 40% of the 2,753 New York victims remain unidentified, and the forensic work continues year after year. Every identification is a reminder that the effort never stopped, and that closure, however late, still matters.

Have you ever waited years for answers you thought would never come? Tell us your story in the comments.