For ten years, Denise Scott lived with a specific kind of peace. It was a fragile, hollow peace, but it was all she had. She believed her husband, Randy Scott, had died instantly.
Randy was a 48-year-old equity trader at Euro Brokers. He was on the 84th floor of the South Tower of the World Trade Center when United Airlines Flight 175 tore through the building. The impact zone was right there—floors 77 to 85. If you were in that pocket of the sky, the narrative was almost always the same: it was quick. No suffering. Just a sudden, violent end.
Then 2011 happened.
Just before the 10th anniversary, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in New York City called. They found something. They didn't find Randy, but they found five words and two numbers scrawled on a scrap of paper that had floated out of a window and into the chaos of Lower Manhattan.
The Five Words That Changed Everything for the Scott Family
The note was stark. "84th floor west office 12 people trapped."
That’s it. No "I love you." No final goodbyes to his three daughters, Rebecca, Alexandra, and Jessica. Just a desperate, tactical plea for help.
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When Denise saw the handwriting, she didn't need a lab tech to tell her who wrote it. She knew the curves of the letters. It was Randy's hand. But there was a dark spot on the paper, about the size of a thumbprint. It was blood.
DNA testing eventually confirmed it. That smudge was the only reason the medical examiner could link the paper to Randy Scott. For a decade, the note had lived a quiet life. A bystander picked it up off the street on September 11, handed it to a guard at the Federal Reserve Bank, and the bank eventually turned it over to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.
Honestly, the survival of that paper is a statistical impossibility. Think about the millions of sheets of office documents that turned into gray snow that morning. Most of it was pulverized or burned. This one survived the fall, survived the collapse, and survived ten years in storage before someone realized it was more than just debris.
What Really Happened With Randy Scott 9/11
The discovery of the note was a double-edged sword. On one hand, it was a miracle—a literal voice from the grave. On the other, it shattered the "instant death" narrative the family had used to survive the grief.
Suddenly, the timeline shifted. Randy hadn't died at 9:03 a.m.
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He was alive. He was trapped. He was with 11 other people in the "west office." He was conscious enough to find a pen, find paper, and try to alert the world below.
The Euro Brokers Perspective
Euro Brokers lost 61 employees that day. It was a tight-knit firm. Some people, like Brian Clark, famously made it out of the South Tower from the 84th floor because they found the one stairwell (Stairwell A) that remained passable after the impact.
Randy and his group didn't find that stairs.
They were likely cut off by fire, smoke, or structural damage. The note suggests they were huddled together, waiting. It’s a heavy thought. You’ve got 12 people in a room, watching the world burn around them, hoping someone on the ground sees a tiny white scrap of paper fluttering down through the smoke.
Why the Note is One of the Most Important 9/11 Artifacts
Today, you can see the note at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. It’s small. It’s fragile. But it’s one of the few items that documents the "inside" experience of the towers after the planes hit but before the collapse.
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- It’s a rescue document. Most artifacts are personal effects—wallets, shoes, watches. This was a tool.
- The DNA connection. The fact that blood was used to identify a paper note is a feat of modern forensics that usually belongs in a crime show.
- The Shared Burden. By identifying Randy, the authorities also gave a voice to the other 11 people in that room. Their families now know they weren't alone in those final minutes.
The curator of the museum, Jan Ramirez, has called it one of the most powerful artifacts they have. It’s not just about the tragedy; it’s about the human instinct to survive and to help others, even when the situation is basically hopeless.
Looking Back to Move Forward
It’s easy to get lost in the "what ifs." What if a helicopter had seen them? What if they had turned left instead of right? But the Scott family eventually chose to share the note with the world. They felt that the truth, however painful, was better than the silence.
If you ever visit the 9/11 Memorial in New York, looking for Randy Scott’s name on the bronze parapets is one thing. But seeing the note is another. It’s a reminder that these weren't just names; they were people who fought for one more breath, one more chance to get home.
Practical Steps for Memorializing
If this story resonates with you, there are a few ways to engage with the history of that day beyond just reading articles:
- Visit the Digital Archive: The 9/11 Memorial & Museum website has a deep archive where you can see photos of artifacts like the Scott note without traveling to NYC.
- Support Forensics: Much of the identification work is still ongoing. You can support organizations that help identify remains and artifacts for families who still don't have closure.
- Read the Oral Histories: Look for the Euro Brokers survivor stories. Hearing how people like Brian Clark navigated the 84th floor provides a haunting, 3D context to Randy’s note.
The story of Randy Scott is a reminder that history isn't static. Even ten or twenty years later, a single scrap of paper can float down and change everything we thought we knew.
Check the National September 11 Memorial & Museum website for current exhibit hours and locations if you plan to see the artifact in person.