After nearly six decades since disappearing in the Nevada desert, the remains of a woman from Calgary have been identified, although the circumstances surrounding her death remain unclear.
Anna Sylvia Just was reported missing by her sister when she was last seen boarding a bus in Calgary on August 17, 1966, at the age of 29.
Two years later, Las Vegas police filed a missing person report for Just after her belongings were discovered near Henderson, Nevada, approximately 26 kilometers outside of Las Vegas.
It took over 50 years for investigators to connect the woman who boarded a bus in Calgary with the victim found in the Mojave Desert, thanks to advancements in DNA technology.
During a press conference on Wednesday, Calgary Police Service (CPS) Staff Sgt. Sean Gregson acknowledged the long wait for answers faced by Anna’s family and expressed empathy towards them.
Last year, while investigating unsolved cases of missing women, the Calgary Police Service’s Historical Homicide Team rediscovered Just’s case. It was revealed that Just was not documented in any local, national, or international databases, leading to challenges in obtaining information due to outdated record-keeping practices.
Upon contacting the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, it was confirmed that Just was believed to have been a homicide victim, although her remains had never been located.
CPS then tracked down living relatives of Just to obtain a DNA sample. Just’s sister, a 97-year-old resident of Calgary, was located in November, and her DNA was collected and submitted along with Just’s missing person profile to various international databases, including the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs).
Last month, Las Vegas police informed CPS detectives of a positive match being found.
Connection to gaming union leader
According to local newspaper reports from the time of her disappearance, Just worked as a stenographer and resided in Calgary’s Richmond neighborhood.
The Calgary Herald reported on March 6, 1968, that some of Just’s belongings were discovered outside Las Vegas, including a purse with personal items and human hair. Additional items like clothing and a bloodstained cloth were also found nearby.
Las Vegas homicide detectives came across a woman’s skeleton over 100 kilometers from the city but determined it did not belong to Just after comparing it with her medical records.
It was revealed that Just had ties to Thomas Hanley, who was associated with the American Federation of Casino and Gaming Employees. Allegations surfaced that Hanley and his associates were involved in Just’s disappearance and murder, although these claims were never substantiated. Hanley passed away in 1979 while in custody for a separate murder.
The case went cold until 1970 when human remains were discovered near where Just’s belongings had been found. However, due to technological limitations, the remains could not be identified at that time.
Las Vegas homicide detective Jarrod Grimmett mentioned that it wasn’t until 2010 that the unidentified remains were submitted for DNA testing, with the breakthrough coming after Just’s sister’s DNA was uploaded by CPS.
Grimmett stated that the recent investigation indicated a connection between Just and Hanley, although there was no evidence of an ongoing personal relationship between them.
“There was a dispute, we believe, that happened between the two of them, and we do have reliable information through the investigation that suggests that Mr. Hanley and his associates were responsible for Anna’s death,” Grimmett revealed in an interview with CBC News.
Put to rest
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