LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — The Las Vegas Metro Police Department assisted the Calgary Cold Case team in identifying human remains found in 1970.
According to LVMPD, Anna Sylvia Just was reported missing in 1968 after her belongings were found in the desert near Henderson.
Officials say that at the time, they were aware of a missing persons report out of Calgary, Canada.
Police say Anna was reportedly meeting an acquaintance named Thomas Hanley for money. Henley allegedly had another person take Anna out into the woods and kill her.
Officials say a search was conducted in the area where her belongings were located, but her body was never found.
Police report in June of 1970, a group of kids playing in the desert found a shallow burial with human remains inside. At the time, the remains were unidentifiable. The Clark County Coroner’s Office determined the death was a homicide due to a fractured skull.
In Oct. 2024, the Calgary Cold Case team contacted LVMPD for assistance after learning Anna may have spent some time in Las Vegas. Police report Calgary detectives found Anna’s biological sister to collect a DNA sample. Through genetic genealogy, it was confirmed that the remains found in 1970 were Anna Sylvia Just.
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