DNA confirms Calgary woman missing since 1968 was victim of Nevada homicide

A Calgary woman has been identified as the person whose human remains were found in a shallow grave near Henderson, Nevada, more than 50 years after she was first reported missing.Las Vegas police said a missing persons report was filed for Anna Sylvia Just in 1968 after her belongings were discovered in the desert near Henderson. An extensive search at the time failed to locate her..Police said their investigation later uncovered allegations that Just had been murdered by Thomas Hanley, a union leader with reputed ties to organized crime. Those allegations, however, were never proven.Another man, Alphonse Bass, who gave a statement to police implicating Hanley in Just’s death, later died under mysterious circumstances in a fire.In June 1970, children playing near the area where Just disappeared discovered human remains in a shallow grave. At the time, the remains could not be identified, though investigators ruled the death a homicide due to a depressed skull fracture.It wasn’t until Oct. 2024 that the case made a breakthrough. Las Vegas police were contacted by Calgary investigators still looking into a separate missing person report for Just, which suggested she may have been in the Las Vegas area around the time of her disappearance.Las Vegas police provided Calgary authorities with the name of a relative, who helped them connect with Just’s biological sister.A DNA sample from her sister ultimately confirmed that the remains found in Nevada belonged to Just.

DNA confirms Calgary woman missing since 1968 was victim of Nevada homicide

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