BOSTON — As the nation marks the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, one woman’s work behind the scenes continues to influence how victims and families are supported after mass-casualty events.
For more than two decades, Kathryn Turman helped build and lead victim assistance efforts following some of the nation’s most devastating tragedies, including the 9/11 attacks, school shootings and the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings.
The FBI describes Turman as an ‘empathetic pioneer’ in victim services. Before joining the FBI, she worked with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime and was part of the response to the Sept. 11 attacks.
“Try to respond to things as they came up, needs as they come up, and figure out how we were gonna try to provide help for people in the long run,” Turman told Boston 25’s Kerry Kavanaugh.
Within hours of the attacks, Turman said her team had resources in place for victims and families in New York, Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, and communities connected to the impacted sites.
“We had already set up a contract with a nonprofit group to be able to set up a crisis call center for victims. That it could be stood up within three or four hours,” Turman said.
She said one of the most immediate needs was information.
“They needed information. You know, what do I do next?” Turman said.
By early 2002, then-FBI Director Robert Mueller asked Turman to help lead the bureau’s newly established Office for Victim Assistance. She is credited with helping create a multi-agency approach to supporting victims and families during and after major crises.
When asked what guided her work during uncertain and fast-moving emergencies, Turman said the focus was always on helping people.
“Go the extra mile to help victims and to be open to doing things a little bit differently,” she said.
Her work included coordinating communication and updates for families, connecting people with mental health resources, and supporting victims through difficult investigative interviews.
Turman said her commitment to victim advocacy began after the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.
“As time went on, the families actually literally had to fight for everything they got,” she said.
Years later, Turman worked to help families gain access to Scottish court proceedings involving the suspects in the bombing. Throughout her career, she helped lead responses to national tragedies, from school shootings to the Boston Marathon bombings of 2013, while focusing on the needs of victims and families.
“Everything I’ve done with victims, I’ve tried to first listen to them, try to find out what their experiences are, what their needs are,” Turman said.
One of the projects that continued for years after 9/11 involved returning personal belongings recovered from the wreckage. Turman recalled the restoration and return of a family Bible found in the seat pocket of one of the planes involved in the attacks.
Though now retired, her work helped establish many of the victim-support practices still used today, ensuring that families affected by tragedy receive information, resources and compassionate assistance during some of the most difficult moments of their lives.
Editor’s note: Several photographs used in the Boston 25 News report were courtesy of the FBI.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
©2026 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/7QOJU3BNCJERBNKJC5LWTBYFLU.png)
