Venita Holzman Missing: Las Vegas 1963 Mystery Uncovered

Missing Person: Venita Gale Holzman (née Bowers)

Details from a government source (might be paraphrased):

Venita Holzman was last seen in 1963 at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, after working a shift. No vehicle or additional details provided.

Last contact: 1963

NamUs says January 1st of 1963 is when she went missing but "January 1st" is likely just a placeholder date. Her birthdate was July 19th, 1940 and her age at the time of her disappearance was 22. Based on this, presumptively, she was last seen between January 1st, 1963 and July 18th, 1963.

Last location: Las Vegas, Nevada - Flamingo Hotel (modern address is 3555 S. Las Vegas Boulevard)
Age when Venita Holzman disappeared: 22
DOB: July 19th, 1940
Sex: Female
Height in inches: 67
Weight in pounds (lbs): 120
BMI: 18.8 - Healthy weight (calculated to help picture what Venita Holzman might have looked like)
Ethnicity: White / Caucasian
Hair color: Red/Auburn
Eye Color: Green
Distinctive Features: None reported
Link to Government Source: NamUs MP143151 (right-click to open)

Discussion page: Websleuths

Unraveling the Mystery: Key Insights and Updates

By: Shane Lambert
Original time of writing: August 17th, 2025

Tonight, I had a look at the enigmatic disappearance of Venita Gale Holzman (née Bowers), a 22-year-old White/Caucasian female who vanished from Las Vegas, Nevada, sometime between January 1st and July 18th, 1963. The disappearance occurred after her shift at the Flamingo Hotel. Unfortunately, there were scant details beyond her workplace exit. I did not find a missing persons report about this case in journalism from the 1960s.

The MP was involved in 1957 divorce filings that did not come to fruition until 1959. She (or someone with the same name and city of residence) was in a minor house fire incident in June 1957, which would have happened in the months after her marriage went south. Zel Holzman, who was her husband (may have been Joseph Zel Holman/November 2nd, 1952 Fresno Bee), is someone she sought divorce from for reasons of extreme cruelty.

I think this Zel Holman was involved in another divorce in 1956 from someone named Joyce Marguerite Holzman. Furthermore, this woman, Joyce Marguerite, was involved in an injurious accident that appeared to involve brake failure around the time of her marriage to Zel turning south. Zel, which could be short for Zelick, and Marg were married from 1951 or 1952 to 1956. Joyce Marguerite reportedly alleged cruelty as the reason for divorce as well.

April 2nd, 1955. The Fresno Bee.

I did consider it eyebrow raising that both Marguerite and Venita were involved in potentially life-threatening incidents around the times of their divorce proceedings to Zel, a car accident and a house fire respectively.

Venita's tumultuous marriage could be set aside because it seemed to be finalized in 1959 and she did not go missing until 1963. However, anytime you see the phrase "extreme cruelty" alleged by a woman who goes missing, I think it's only natural to look at the person that she was talking about.

Yet, if that is set aside in the name of trying to look at the whole picture, Venita appears to have disappeared during her work commute. That is what I am taking the reports of her being last seen at work to mean. Commuters are usually in a fairly predictable pattern, which brings a potential stalker into the equation, someone who could have figured out her patterns and planned accordingly.

Modesto Bee, June 17th, 1957

Modesto Bee, August 2nd, 1957

Reno Gazette Journal, July 9th, 1957

Modesto Bee, April 24th, 1959

July 31st, 1956. Reno Gazette Journal.

December 25th, 1956. The Fresno Bee.

Zel Holman did marry again and he seemed to be involved in a divorce again. He remarried in 1959 and sought a divorce in 1966 with one Bernice L. Holzman. This time he was the one citing cruelty according to the newspaper clipping below.

Venita's missing person report at NamUs was not created until May 4th, 2025. That's a 62-year gap between her last-seen time and the NamUs creation date without any documented missing person report that I could find.

Missing Person Report: Alana M. Vasquez - Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania

By: Shane Lambert
Original time of writing: June 18th, 2025

Case Overview: Alana M. Vasquez

Case Number: NamUs #MP143619
Name: Alana M. Vasquez
Age at Disappearance: 16 years
Current Age: 16 years
Date of Last Contact: May 5th, 2025 (2PM-7PM)
Missing From: Sinking Spring, PA
Last Known Location: Taco Bell, Wyomissing, PA

Physical Description:
Sex: Female | Race/Ethnicity: Hispanic/Latino | Height: 5’4” | Weight: 110 lbs | Hair: Brown | Eyes: Brown | Distinctive Features: None

Circumstances: Alana was dropped off at Taco Bell (1199 Berkshire Blvd, Wyomissing) on May 5th, 2025, at 11:00 AM for her shift. She finished work but didn’t return home, last seen between 2PM and 7PM. She has ties to Reading and Philadelphia, PA.

Commentary and Insights

Alana’s disappearance is alarming due to her young age and sudden vanishing after work. One opinion I have with people who are missing after work is that it increases the likelihood of stalking. I think someone who is in their commute behaves in a more predictable and patterned way. However, this is speculative.

The limited news coverage on this case mostly repeats the NamUs data. But her shift likely lasted 3-6 hours (legal limit for a minor without parental consent). A recent case in Reading, PA, involves a 15-year-old found alive on June 16, 2025, in North Carolina with Joseph A. Rossomando, 32, arrested for kidnapping and related charges (NBC News, June 18th, 2025). Though unrelated, it highlights regional abduction risks.

David Barclay Miller -- Missing in Arizona Since 1998

Paraphrased details from government source**: 

David was last seen leaving for a two-and-a-half-day hiking trip in Sedona, Arizona on May 19th, 1998. David was an experienced hiker employed by the Sedona Forest Service. David's vehicle was found abandoned at the Vultee Arch Trail in Sedona, AZ. Mr. Miller was an experienced hiker and was a seasonal employee with the United States Forestry Service.

Missing Person: David Barclay Miller
Last-contact date: May 19th, 1998 (Tuesday)
The area where the MP was last seen: Sedona, Arizona
Link to government source: NamUs MP 

VITAL DETAILS

Ethnicity: Caucasian
Sex: Male
Age at time of disappearance: 22 years old
Birthdate: July 6th, 1975
Hair: Sandy
Eyes: Blue and may be wearing glasses or contact lenses
Scar: None known
Height/weight: 5'11" to 6'1" and 160 to 170 pounds
BMI*: David Barclay Miller was in the normal range for BMI.
Tattoos: David Barclay Miller did not have any tattoos associated with his profiles.

David Barclay Miller, a missing person, was last heard from on Tuesday May 19th, 1998 when he was 22 years old. The last people to see him before he went on a two-day hike were his co-workers on May 19th, 1998 at the Beaver Creek Ranger Station. He left a note indicating what his plans were but a search started when he did not report to work as expected on Friday May 22nd, 1998. This individual has now been missing for about 23 years as of the original publication date of this blog post.

There was significant newspaper coverage with this missing person. His truck was found at the Vultee Arch Trail in the Sedona area. In coverage I read, there was a concern that he would not have enough drinking water in a part of the USA that is very dry and hot.

25 May 1998, Mon Arizona Daily Sun (Flagstaff, Arizona) Newspapers.com

The Vultee Arch Trail is only a 5.8-km "heavily trafficked" trail according to AllTrails.com. However, it is connected to a broader network of trails and backcountry. The missing person may not have perished near the specific trail that his profile is associated with.

What is puzzling with this case is that I did not find any indication that his campsite was located. He was on a multi-day trip and would surely have needed supplies and, I assume, a tent. 

If his campsite was packed as he traveled on foot then he should be a pretty big target to find in an arid part of the USA where the forests are not as thick as many other parts of the country. If he was unpacked and set up for camp when he suffered a mishap, I would think that someone would have found his campground after all this time. 

I do find the concern over his lack of water to be a little difficult to accept. Surely, this is a hot place in the USA. In fact, I looked up the temperatures for the Sedona area on May 20th, 1998 and found a high of 83F (about 28C). But overall, the way I feel about this case is that something sudden and unexpected happened to him. Conversely, running out of a water, when you start with a lot of it, is something that someone would see coming: you could turn back when you realize you didn't bring enough. 

This trail is also very popular. I wondered how it could be that someone didn't help him as he would have foreseen any water shortage approaching.

20 May 1998, Wed Arizona Daily Sun (Flagstaff, Arizona) Newspapers.com

When he disappeared, he was thought to have a t-shirt, shorts and black hiking boots, and a forest-green Gregory backpack. Those details can be cross-referenced against John Does. It would help to know what supplies he was carrying as well. Furthermore, what was found in his vehicle might be interesting. 

The following Youtube video shows what the region was like in 2009. As you can see, there are a lot of smooth edges where someone that's feeling adventurous might fall.

Popular Tag: "Car Found Person Missing" is a popular tag for this site. It describes a missing person who either owned or was using a vehicle at the time of his/her disappearance. The vehicle is found but the person is not. Click the hashtag at the bottom of this blog post to see just how many times this pattern is present in missing person cases.

 

Author: Shane Lambert (UncoolNegated on Websleuths)

All articles are subject to editing after the original posting.

Shane Lambert (UncoolNegated on Websleuths) is not a Private Investigator, however, he is currently studying to be one as of March 2021.

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Website hashtag: #MPCSL

*For BMI values, I use the UPPER or HIGHER ranges that are given for height and weight.
**Might not be the exact meaning that NamUs or Canada's Missing conveys. I improve upon their descriptions with my research.
Disclaimer: Whenever possible, government sources are preferred for getting the details of a missing persons case. However, any source that the article writer deems reputable may be used.

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