For more than half a century, the identity of a woman found murdered in the Nevada desert remained one of Las Vegas's most persistent cold cases. Now, through modern DNA technology and cross-border police work, Calgary woman Anna Sylvia Just has finally been identified, with investigators pointing to notorious mobster Thomas Hanley as her killer.
The Breakthrough: DNA Solves 50-Year Mystery
Las Vegas homicide detectives announced a major breakthrough on Friday, November 10, 2025, revealing they had finally identified remains discovered in 1970 as those of Anna Sylvia Just. The 29-year-old Calgary native had vanished in 1968 while working as a stenographer in Henderson, Nevada.
The identification came after Calgary police collected DNA from Just's sister in 2024, providing the crucial link that Vegas investigators needed to solve the decades-old mystery. The Clark County coroner's office had determined the victim died from homicidal violence and blunt force trauma, but the case went cold until this recent DNA match.
Mob-Run Vegas in the 1960s
Las Vegas in the 1960s operated as an open city for organized crime, much like the depiction in Martin Scorsese's film 'Casino.' Mobsters from Chicago, Kansas City, New York, and Cleveland controlled various aspects of the city's operations, with labor racketeering being particularly profitable.
This is where Thomas Hanley enters the picture. Born in 1916, Hanley was a violent and ruthless figure who headed the Mob-controlled American Federation of Casino and Gaming Employees. Hanley had a documented history of murder, including being the prime suspect in Vegas's oldest cold case from the early 1950s.
Before Just vanished in 1968, Hanley had been accused of murdering union member Ralph Alsup. Though those charges were eventually dropped in 1969, Hanley's criminal activities continued. He and his heroin-addicted son, Andrew Garamby Hanley, later pleaded guilty to the 1977 murder of Culinary Union head Al Bramlet. Hanley died in jail in 1979 at age 63.
The Fatal Connection
Investigators believe Anna Sylvia Just crossed paths with Hanley sometime before her disappearance. Police indicate she was seeking money from the mob boss, though they haven't specified whether this involved extortion or a personal relationship.
Detectives theorize that Hanley arranged a meeting with Just under the pretext of providing the money she sought. Instead, he allegedly sent a hitman to eliminate what he perceived as a problem.
The evidence discovered in the desert outside Henderson told a grim story: Just's suitcase and purse were found containing her passport, a plane ticket, and human hair. Nearby, investigators discovered her undergarments, a blouse, and a bloodstained cloth, all wrapped in a bedsheet.
When questioned about Just during his lifetime, Hanley claimed 'I never even heard of the woman.' But the evidence, combined with his known violent tendencies and the timing of Just's disappearance, made him the prime suspect for decades.
The identification of Anna Sylvia Just brings closure to a case that exemplifies the dark side of 1960s Las Vegas, where the city's famous slogan - 'What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas' - sometimes concealed tragic endings for visitors who crossed paths with the wrong people.
