Nearly six decades after vanishing in the Nevada desert, the remains of a woman from Calgary have been positively identified. However, the details surrounding her demise remain unclear.
Anna Sylvia Just was reported missing by her sister after being 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 when her belongings were discovered near Henderson, Nevada, approximately 26 kilometers from Las Vegas.
It took over 50 years for advancements in DNA technology to establish the link between the woman who boarded a bus in Calgary and the unidentified victim in the Mojave Desert.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Calgary Police Service (CPS) Staff Sgt. Sean Gregson acknowledged the prolonged wait for answers faced by Anna’s family. The CPS Historical Homicide Team stumbled upon Just’s case while investigating unsolved missing women files. She was not listed in any local, national, or international databases, according to Gregson, due to different document handling practices back then.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department confirmed Just as a homicide victim, although her remains had never been located. CPS located Just’s 97-year-old sister in Calgary last November to collect a DNA sample for submission to international databases, resulting in a match reported by Las Vegas police last month.
Anna Just, a stenographer residing in Calgary’s Richmond neighborhood, went missing in 1966. Her belongings were found outside Las Vegas in March 1968, leading to speculations about her acquaintance with Thomas Hanley, a gaming union leader and alleged mobster.
Thomas Hanley, associated with the American Federation of Casino and Gaming Employees, was linked to Just’s disappearance, but the allegations were unproven. Hanley died in 1979 while in federal custody for another crime. The case remained unresolved until 1970 when human remains were discovered near where Just’s belongings were found, but they couldn’t be identified due to technological limitations.
Finally, after decades of investigation, a connection between Just and Hanley was established, suggesting his involvement in her demise. The identification of Just’s remains brought closure to her family, particularly her sister, who longed to know her resting place.
The arduous investigation, spanning decades, ultimately provided Just’s sister with the closure she sought, as investigators were able to confirm the resting place of her sister, allowing them to put an end to the ‘Jane #2 Doe’ mystery.