Identified! NV- Henderson, 988UFNV, WhtFem, 35-60, found in shallow grave, September 1970, id'd November 2025 - Anna Sylvia Just (29), last seen August 1966

[Fairy1]

https://www.8newsnow.com/crime/dna-helps-identify-womans-remains-found-in-las-vegas-desert-in-1970-she-may-have-been-victim-of-mob-hit/

 

[dotr]

Human remains found in Las Vegas desert identified as woman killed 50 years ago in possible mob hit

Anna Sylvia Just reportedly borrowed money from a Las Vegas union boss, with known ties to organized crime, prior to her death

www.aol.com

''At the time, police investigating the young woman’s disappearance learned that she was an acquaintance of Thomas Hanley, who had served as the head of the now-defunct American Federation of Casino and Gaming Employees and the Gaming and Office Employee Union.

The remains of Anna Sylvia Just, who disappeared in 1968, were identified this week. The Clark County coroner ruled her death a homicide (NamUs database)
Hanley had ties to the Chicago mob, according to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' Special Collections and Archives, and had previously been accused of murder.
According to police, Just had asked Hanley for money.''

 

[dotr]

Brad Hunter

HUNTER: Was Calgary woman in cold-case murder killed by Vegas Mob?

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. And that is what the killers of missing Calgary woman Anna Sylvia Just were counting on. Until DNA.

torontosun.com

Nov 10, 2025 rbbm, lengthy article.

''In the 1960s, Las Vegas was a booming, Mob-infested burg, much like the one depicted in Martin Scorsese’s ‘Casino.’ An open city, mobsters from Chicago, Kansas City, New York, and Cleveland dipped their cups into a bottomless punch bowl of corruption.
And one of the underworld’s top money spinners was labour racketeering.''

Mob-connected union boss and convicted killer Thomas Hanley. LVMPD

Hanley and his heroin addict son, Andrew Garamby Hanley, were notorious Vegas killers.

''Somewhere along the way, Anna Sylvia Just crossed paths with Hanley. Cops vaguely said she wanted money from Hanley. Was it a shakedown? Were the two having an affair? Cops stopped short on those details.

In 1968, Just was working as a stenographer in Henderson, Nevada, southeast of Las Vegas. And then she vanished. Her family had earlier reported her missing to police in Calgary on Aug. 17, 1966.

Vegas detectives believe that Just was meeting Hanley to get that money, but instead, Hanley sent a hitter to take care of his woman problem.''

 

[Neverlostakways]

Not sure if anyone has looked at the contrast on this one but;

Anna Just
Age: 29
Disappeared 1966
Height 5.6
Weight 125

Jane Doe 1970 NV
Age 35-60
Est DOD 6-8 mths
Height 5.3-5.5
Weight 135 to 140

I think most people would have overlooked this doe based on the age gap and the date of death estimate. 4 years is a lot longer than 6 to 8 months. This is something to keep in mind while trying to ID these poor Does.

 

[tarabull]

Calgary cold case: Closure for family six decades later Nearly six-decade-old cold case of missing and murdered Calgary woman brings closure for family

 

[dotr]

DNA evidence identifies Calgary woman as decades-old Nevada murder victim

A Calgary woman has been identified as the victim of a homicide near Henderson, Nevada, almost 60 years after she was reported missing.

calgaryherald.com

''Victim’s sister, now 97, ‘been waiting to hear from her’​

''In November 2024, Calgary police located Just’s biological sister, who provided a DNA sample, which was then submitted to local and national databases.''

''Calgary police met with Just’s sister earlier this month, and she knew right away what the visit was about, Gregson said.
Article content
“That’s 50 years that she’s been waiting to hear from her — and right inside the front door is a picture of her sister,” he said.
“She’s 97 years old right now,” he added. “I can’t imagine the kind of shock that would come after this long.”

Nov 12, 2025 #ctvnews #ctvnationalnews #canadiannews
Calgary woman Anna Sylvia Just has been identified as the murder victim in a cold case near Las Vegas. She was reported missing in 1966.

 

[dotr]

Nov. 21, 2025 rbbm

https://www.wvnstv.com/news/crime/las-vegas-mob-duo-tied-to-55-year-old-cold-case-murder/

Thomas Hanley pleaded guilty to the murder of Culinary Union boss Al Bramlet in 1977. (KLAS)

''Early in the Scorsese movie “Casino,” there’s a shot that glides across the Mojave while the narrator, Joe Pesci’s character, casually notes there are a lot of holes out there in the desert outside of Las Vegas, implying there are a lot of bodies buried out there by the mob.

Two of the most prolific killers of that era were not members of the mafia, but they handled dirty deeds for the mob and for many other powerful interests. And now their names have surfaced in connection with the remains of a Canadian woman missing since the late 60s. ''

''But who was Hanley? He’d been a key figure in several Las Vegas labor unions dating back to the 40s, and had tried to unionize casino dealers.

But to homicide detectives, Hanley was a notorious assassin, one half of a murder-for-hire team. His partner was his son, Gramby Hanley. They reportedly carried out contract killings for the mob, casino owners, and union bosses.

“[They] were total cold-blooded killers for money,” the late Metro Homicide detective Dave Hatch said during a 2001 interview. “They were two of the most active contract killers in the western states. They were up for hire as enforcers.”
''The 2001 special, “In The Company of Killers,” can be found in two parts here and here on YouTube''

 

[dotr]

By Devon Dekuyper Jan 22, 2026 lengthy article.

'The toughest files out there': Cold cases test Calgary detectives' resolve

It took six decades for Calgary Police Service investigators to determine how Anna Just's travels ended tragically in the Nevada desert.

calgaryherald.com

'Anna Sylvia Just was reported missing to Calgary police by family in August 1966. It was determined she was last seen boarding a bus in Calgary on Aug. 17, 1966, and in March of 1968, some of Anna’s belongings were located in the Nevada desert. Photo courtesy NamUs (National Missing and Unidentified Persons System)

'Anna Just was last seen carrying a suitcase while boarding a bus in Calgary on Aug. 17, 1966. She was reported missing by her sister not long after.
Not a lot is known about where the 29-year-old stenographer was headed that cloudy summer day, or her motivations'.

“One of our detectives in the unit, Detective Schwedelsky, is very familiar with all of our files. When we came across Sylvia’s story, she immediately recognized, ‘Wait a minute, we don’t have this one,’ ” recalls Staff Sgt. Sean Gregson of the homicide unit.
Article content
“She’s the one that dug into it and really brought that file to a conclusion with the help of her partner, Detective Vermette.”

 

[dotr]

Jan 22, 2026 The Badge and Beyond: Inside the World of LVMPD
We discuss a cold case homicide with detectives involving Las Vegas Mob ties and union bosses of that era, telling the story of Anna Sylvia Just whose life was cut short. As the details unfold, we explore the facts, lingering questions, and the mystery that sparked an international investigation.

 

[Rikissa]

Two threads merged.