Anna Sylvia Just, a 29-year-old stenographer from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, was last seen by her family on August 17, 1966. She was reported missing by her sister after she was seen boarding a bus in Calgary. Records later indicated she received treatment at a clinic in Los Angeles in October 1966 and was also registered at a Las Vegas hotel during that same period.
The case took a grim turn in March 1968 when some of her personal belongings were discovered partially buried in the desert near Henderson, a suburb of Las Vegas. Three hikers found a purse handle sticking out of the ground, which led to the discovery of her passport, a plane ticket, and some human hair. Further searching in the immediate area uncovered more of her possessions, including her suitcase, clothing, and a bloodstained cloth, leading investigators to suspect foul play.
The investigation into her disappearance uncovered potential connections to organized crime in Las Vegas. Reports suggested Anna was an acquaintance of Thomas Hanley, a union leader with known ties to the Chicago mob. Authorities believe a dispute over money may have led to her death. The theory is that Anna was demanding money back from Hanley, which resulted in him or his associates taking her into the desert where she was killed. Despite these suspicions, no direct evidence linked Hanley to her disappearance at the time, and he passed away in 1979 while in police custody for a separate murder. Following the discovery of her belongings in 1968, an extensive search of the area was conducted, but Anna's remains were not found. Her sister traveled to Las Vegas to collect the recovered items.
For decades, Anna's fate remained a mystery. The case was revisited in September 2024 by cold case detectives in Calgary. They contacted the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, which led to the discovery that no official missing person profile for Anna existed in national or international databases. Investigators were able to locate Anna's only living relative, her now 97-year-old sister, in Calgary and obtained a DNA sample. This crucial piece of evidence was uploaded to international databases. A breakthrough occurred when the DNA sample was matched to unidentified skeletal remains that had been discovered by children playing in a desert area near Henderson on September 7, 1970. The remains were found in a shallow grave, and the cause of death was determined to be a skull fracture from a blunt object. After more than half a century, Anna Sylvia Just was formally identified, bringing a long-awaited, albeit tragic, resolution to her family. The case, which spanned decades and crossed international borders, was officially closed, confirming she was deceased.Last Seen: Mar 3, 1968
