TORONTO — 1919 · Missing Person
The Disappearance of Ambrose Small
In late November 1919, Toronto theatre magnate Ambrose Small and his wife sold their chain of theatres for about 1.7 million dollars, receiving a one-million-dollar payment on account on 1 December. The next day, 2 December 1919, after meeting his lawyer at the Grand Opera House in the afternoon, Small disappeared without a trace. In January 1920 rewards were posted and an international search began. A former employee was convicted of stealing bonds from Small's bank box, but no one was ever charged with kidnapping or murder, and no body was found. Small was declared dead for probate purposes in 1923. The disappearance is remembered as Toronto's most famous unsolved mystery.
- Date
- 1919
- Place
- Ontario, Canada, Toronto, CA
- Category
- Missing Person
- Case Status
- Unsolved
- Coordinates
- 43.6480, -79.3790 ↗
Timeline of Events
- November 1919The Smalls sold their theatre chain for about 1.7 million dollars.
- 2 December 1919Small vanished after a meeting at the Grand Opera House.
- January 1920Rewards were posted and an international search began.
- 1923Small was declared dead for probate purposes.
Sources
- Dictionary of Canadian Biography — Small, Ambrose Joseph biographi.ca ↗
- Toronto Star — He made the deal of a lifetime, then vanished (2019, archived) web.archive.org ↗
- Wikipedia — Disappearance of Ambrose Small en.wikipedia.org ↗
- Dictionary of Canadian Biography
- Toronto Star
- Wikipedia
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.