In 1968, a missing person report was taken for Anna Sylvia Just when all her belongings were located in the desert outside of Henderson. It was learned that there was already an active missing person report for Just out of Calgary, Canada.
During the investigation, several reports suggested she was an acquaintance of Thomas Hanley and had gone to him for money. It was alleged that Hanley had his associates drive Just out to the desert, where they murdered her. An extensive search of the area where her belongings were found was conducted, but Just was never located.
On June 7, 1970, kids playing in the desert located human remains buried in a shallow grave. The remains were unidentifiable. With the help of the Clark County Coroner's Office, the cause of death was ruled a homicide due to a depressed fracture to the skull.
In October 2024, Calgary Cold Case Missing Person Detectives reached out to LVMPD after learning Just may have been in the Las Vegas area at some point in the late 1960s. LVMPD Cold Case Detectives were able to provide the name of the relative who collected Just’s personal belongings in 1968.
Calgary detectives were able to locate the individual, who was Just’s biological sister, and collected a DNA sample from her. Through genetic genealogy it was confirmed that the remains located in 1970 were those of Anna Sylvia Just.
Republished courtesy of LVMPD