Remains of woman killed in Sept. 11 attacks identified

More than 10 years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, officials for the New York City Chief Medical Examiner's Office said Friday they have identified the remains of a Las Vegas woman's daughter, Karol Ann Keasler.

Calls to the mother, Denise Keasler, seeking her reaction were not returned late Friday.

In a 2004 interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, she said the second hijacked jetliner slammed in the Trade Center's South Tower, killing her 42-year-old daughter and nearly all of her co-workers on the 89th floor.

Karol Keasler was an events planner for an investment banking company, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Inc.

Her identity was confirmed recently after medical examiners retested remains gathered during the initial recovery efforts.

Denise Keasler, who has lived in the Las Vegas Valley since 1995, recalled that tragic day.

"I was speaking to her on the phone. I had the TV on. She said she was all right. Then I watched when the plane hit the building, and I never heard from her again," she told the Review-Journal in 2004.

In the aftermath of attacks, Denise Keasler traveled to New York many times to try to understand what happened, grieve with other families and attempt to locate Karol's remains. Only Karol's wallet and some credit cards were found.

Because of the tragedy, Denise Keasler became an advocate for an intelligence reform bill that the Senate passed to compel government agencies to be more vigilant through sharing information about terrorist activities.

"Part of the problem, I guess, is that we became so lackadaisical," she said.

Karol Keasler grew up with her sister, Susan Keasler, in Casa Grande, Ariz., about 80 miles south of Phoenix.

She was a homecoming queen and high school cheerleader in the town and later went to the University of Arizona, where she earned a degree in sociology.

She moved to New York and became a wine connoisseur and a world traveler. She lived five years in Africa. She was engaged to a Russian banker at the time of the attacks.

They had planned to be married in Tuscany, Italy, though her mom and sister had kidded her that they could come to Las Vegas and get married.

In the book "Triumph over Tragedy" by John Duffy, chairman and chief executive of Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, a passage by one of Karol's co-workers describes her as the life of the party.

"She not only lived life out loud, she lived it at glass-shattering volume and she made no excuses for that," wrote Duffy, whose son was killed in the attacks.

More than 2,750 people were reported missing in the attack on the twin towers. The identification of Keasler brings the number of victims to have some portion of their remains identified to 1,633.

Another 1,120 never had any remains recovered.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact reporter Keith Rogers at krogers@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0308.