NV NV - Venita Holzman, 22, Las Vegas, 1 January 1963 *NamUs #MP143151*

[victoriarobinson642]

New to NAMUS:

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

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Name: Venita Gale Bowers Holzman
Missing Since: 1963
Location Last Seen: Las Vegas, Clark County, Nevada

Physical Description​

Date of Birth: 19 Jul 1940
Age: 22 years old
Race: White
Gender: Female
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 120 lbs
Hair Color: Red/Auburn
Eye Color: Green

Circumstances of Disappearance​

The missing person disappeared after working her shift at the Flamingo Hotel in 1963.

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Verita married Z Holzman on 3 Jan 1957 in Fresno. The only photo I can find is from her courthouse wedding. The article suggests they'd been together for a year and a half, around her 15th birthday.

They divorced after two months, with her citing 'extreme cruelty'. I can't find anything about their child, though there's a birth record for a stillborn child that may have been hers. She was born in Texas and had 3 siblings, at least two of whom appear to still be alive.

The Fresno Bee from Fresno, California

Get this The Fresno Bee page for free from Thursday, January 3, 1957 THE FRESNO BEE 67, NO.. Edition of The Fresno Bee

www.newspapers.com

The Modesto Bee from Modesto, California

Get this The Modesto Bee page for free from Friday, August 2, 1957 MODESTO BEE, FRIDAY, AUGUST 2.. Edition of The Modesto Bee

www.newspapers.com

 

[victoriarobinson642]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

Photo added to NAMUS today (06/13/2025)

 

[Diavola]

No other marriages besides that one?

 

[victoriarobinson642]

No other marriages besides that one?

Not that I'm aware of.

 

[UncoolNegated]

It looks like the divorce proceedings were documented in the July 9th, 1957 edition of the Reno Gazette. But that's still a long time before 1963, the time of her disappearance.

 

[UncoolNegated]

Also, it looks like Zel Holzman was getting his second divorce in a pretty short time period. I found a Zel Holzman who divorced a Joyce Marguerite Holzman in 1956. Attached is from July 31st, 1956 Nevada State Journal.

 

[UncoolNegated]

Also, he was in a third divorce in 1966 (Beatrice Holzman).

 

[mlhenn]

Venita Holzman – The Charley Project

Details of Disappearance​

Holzman was last seen in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 1, 1963. She disappeared after working her shift at the Flamingo Hotel in the 3500 block of South Las Vegas Boulevard. She has never been heard from again. Few details are available in her case.

 

[eoyste]

NamUs# MP143151

 

[Richard]

Was she actually last seen on New Years Day, 1 January 1963, or was that date only chosen because only the year was known?

Many missing person websites or other records will use "1 January " when the actual date is unknown.

 

[Same Old Stella]

When did her shift begin and end? If she got off at midnight on New Year's Eve, she would've been lost in the rowdy party crowd in the hotel and on the street. Someone could've have grabbed her and she could've yelled her head off but who would hear with all the noise of the festivities?

 

[Pennysmom1]

 

[Pennysmom1]

Sept 2, 2025

https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/las-vegas-police-launch-new-missing-persons-database/

<<The database goes back to 1950, with the earliest case involving 22-year-old Venita Holzman, who went missing in 1963 after working a shift at the Flamingo Hotel.>>




Added 9/21/25

https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/software/mp-main.html?id=5329DFNV

Date of Birth: July 19, 1940
Age: 22 years old
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 120 lbs.
Hair Color: Red/Auburn
Eye Color: Green

Identifiers​

Dentals: Unknown
Fingerprints: Unknown
DNA: Unknown

 

[AZ Native Cat]

Bump

 

[sinsandsurvivors]

Also, it looks like Zel Holzman was getting his second divorce in a pretty short time period. I found a Zel Holzman who divorced a Joyce Marguerite Holzman in 1956. Attached is from July 31st, 1956 Nevada State Journal.

Related: I found 3 marriage records in Clark County for a Zel Holzman/Zelik Holzman. Ruth Leonard, Bernice Regeir, and Matilda Bloom. I did not find any for Venita.

 

[sinsandsurvivors]

Also, he was in a third divorce in 1966 (Beatrice Holzman).

I was searching in the newspapers.com archives, trying to figure out what happened to Zel, if he ever ended up in Vegas, wondering if there was an obit out there. No luck. But I noticed the Bee started referring to him as Zel "Joe" Holzman. I searched for "Joe Holzman" obituaries and found this. The ages line up, working for the phone company, and the location also matches.

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/fresnobee/name/joe-holzman-obituary?id=8445055

 

[Claroon]

Also, he was in a third divorce in 1966 (Beatrice Holzman).

wow, he was quite the womanizer

 

[Claroon]

Was she actually last seen on New Years Day, 1 January 1963, or was that date only chosen because only the year was known?

Many missing person websites or other records will use "1 January " when the actual date is unknown.

I would suspect she worked at a New Year's Eve party and staff often are there until 1:30-2 cleaning up so that would mean Jan 1.

Help me out here. So if we are looking for a body, it might have been discovered any number of years later.

Thoughts on this for a possible match? https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/software/main.html?id=1235UFCO

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

There is DNA available according to the Doe Network.

P.S. No exclusions yet.

 

[Richard]

Venita Holzman
Birth 19 Jul 1940 USA
Death 1 Jan 1963 (aged 22), Las Vegas, Clark County, Nevada, USA
Burial Details Unknown. Specifically: Missing person

LINK:

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/290214172/venita-holzman

 

[Claroon]

I sent in the skull to Nevada LE to see if there is a match.

Missing Person Information:

• Name:
  Venita Gale Holzman
  (née Bowers)
• NamUs Case Number: #143151
• Last Seen: January 1, 1963, in Las Vegas, NV (Clark County)
• Investigating Agency: Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (Case #121030002624)

Unidentified Person Information:

• NamUs Case Number: #UP1807 (also Doe Network #1235UFCO)
• Discovery Date: January 1, 1970
• Location Found: Durango, Colorado (Skull found in Colorado, later turned over to Balch Springs PD, TX)
• Estimated Date of Death: 1950–1970
• Investigating Agency: Southwestern Institute of Forensic Science (Case #03-2564) / Balch Springs Police Dept.

Reason for Match Suggestion:
The physical descriptions for age and the timeframe of disappearance versus discovery are consistent with the records in these cases. The location of the remains is geographically plausible in relation to the missing person's last known location. While DNA is available for the remains (NamUs #1807), comparing it with family DNA for the missing person (NamUs #143151) may be a necessary step for verification.