Robert Martin Roth
Agency patch
Special Agent

Robert Martin Roth

Illness
End of Watch March 16, 2008
Age 44
Tour of Duty 12 yrs
The Vigil Panel 156 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Location: Virginia Incident Date: Tuesday, September 11, 2001 Weapon: Aircraft; Passenger jet Offender: 19 committed suicide

Special Agent Robert Roth died as the result of cancer he developed from being exposed to hazardous materials during recovery efforts at the Pentagon following the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks.

Special Agent Roth had served with the FBI for 12 years.

September 11, 2001 - The Years After

Special Agent Robert Martin Roth was assigned to the search and recovery at the World Trade Center site after September 11, 2001. He was 38 years old that fall.

He died on March 16, 2008 - 6 years and 6 months later - of an illness contracted there. He was 44.

He is one of 599 officers honored here, and one of 19 at United States Department of Justice - Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The most recent of these deaths was October 24, 2025.

Officers who worked the search, rescue, and recovery at the World Trade Center site breathed contaminated air for weeks and months afterward. Many developed cancers and respiratory disease, and they have gone on dying of it ever since.

Seventy-two officers were killed on the morning itself. Hundreds more have died in the years that followed. They are honored here together, because the same attack killed them all. With some it simply took longer.

Survivors

He is survived by his wife and five children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-FED-29D731F2
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
April 2, 2026
Last updated
July 23, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

You walked into it and it took years to finish the job.
Special Agent Roth gave the United States Department of Justice 12 years.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Special Agent Roth.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Location Washington, DC
Platform Identity usdjfbifed.fed.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch March 16, 2008
Tour of Duty 12 yrs
Age 44
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Illness
Cause Detail 9/11 related illness
Weapon Aircraft; Passenger jet
Offender 19 committed suicide

Special Agent Robert Martin Roth is one of 2,974 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 9.1% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In DC, 137 of 1,419 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 9.7% of this state's fallen. That is 0.6 percentage points above the national rate of 9.1%.

At United States Department of Justice - Federal Bureau of Investigation, 20 of 89 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 22.5% of this agency's fallen.

United States Department of Justice - Federal Bureau of Investigation
20
of 89 officers
22.5% Illness
DC — Statewide
137
of 1,419 officers
9.7% Illness
Nationwide
2,974
of 32,508 officers
9.1% Illness

National Cause Distribution

How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Robert Martin Roth's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How Robert Martin Roth Compares

Age at End of Watch
44
This officer
Avg for Illness: 47.8 years
Years of Service
12
This officer
Avg for Illness: 18.9 years

Offender Outcome

19 committed suicide

When Illness Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Robert Martin Roth is highlighted in Mar.

Jan
294
Feb
198
Mar
185
Apr
226
May
201
Jun
181
Jul
217
Aug
281
Sep
291
Oct
376
Nov
239
Dec
285

Incident Location