Nearly six decades after vanishing in the Nevada desert, a woman from Calgary has been identified, but the circumstances surrounding her demise remain unclear. Anna Sylvia Just was reported missing by her sister after 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 when her belongings were discovered near Henderson, Nevada, approximately 26 kilometers from Las Vegas.
It was not until advancements in DNA technology over fifty years later that investigators linked the woman who boarded the bus in Calgary to the victim in the Mojave Desert. Calgary Police Service (CPS) Staff Sgt. Sean Gregson expressed empathy for the family, acknowledging the long wait for answers. The CPS Historical Homicide Team stumbled upon Just’s case during a probe into other unsolved missing women files. Just was not listed in any databases back then, complicating the search. After contacting the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, it was revealed that Just was likely a homicide victim, but her remains had never been located.
Efforts were made to locate any living relatives of Just for a DNA sample. Just’s sister, a 97-year-old Calgarian, was found last November, and her DNA was collected and submitted along with Just’s missing person profile to international databases. Las Vegas police recently informed CPS detectives of a match.
Just, who worked as a stenographer and resided in Calgary’s Richmond neighborhood, was associated with Thomas Hanley, a gaming union leader and suspected mobster. Allegations suggested that Hanley and his associates were involved in her murder, but these claims were never substantiated. The case remained unsolved until 1970 when human remains were discovered near where Just’s belongings were found, though technology limitations hindered identification.
The recent investigation indicates a connection between Just and Hanley, with evidence pointing to his involvement in her demise. The investigation brought closure to Just’s sister after decades, with Gregson and Grimmett emphasizing the importance of providing answers and peace to the family.