Mollie Ombler

Mollie Ombler was found dead, floating in the sea near Old Dane Rock, Newquay on 14 June 1922.

It was not known how she got into the sea.

She was described as being pretty and always bright and happy.

She was found near the Old Dane Rock by three fishermen fishing for lobsters under the headland on the southern arm of Newquay Bay eleven days after she suddenly vanished from her bedroom. Her body was found amongst the seaweed. One of the fishermen that found her said that both her velvet slippers and stockings had been washed off and that her flimsy dress was over her face. They took her body in tow and when her head became exposed they noticed serious injuries to the back of her head. They also said that there was no sign of the wrist watch, brooch or bracelet that she was supposed to have been wearing.

The police found that her left arm was thrown across her face as though to protect it and that it was rigidly fixed like that and was impossible to straighten. It was thought that that was an unnatural position for her arm to have been in if it was assumed that she had fallen from a cliff or fallen into the sea.

She had lived a short walk from the cliff in Harbour Crescent and was said to have gone there in the darkness on 1 June 1922. She was last seen by her mother at about 10pm when she had gone into her mother's room and complained about the heat and said that she was going to get a glass of water. When her mother awoke the next morning she found that Mollie Ombler's bed hadn't been slept in.

When her mother last saw her Mollie Ombler was wearing a biscuit coloured tussore dress trimmed with blue roses, white silk stockings and black satin bedroom slippers.

A large search by the police and hundreds of people was made along the coast and in the woods and fields and up until the time she was found the idea that she had been drowned had almost definitely been abandoned.

At her inquest a verdict of found drowned was returned. Her post-mortem stated that she had lived for at least five hours after her last meal at 8pm. It was said that there were no signs of a struggle and that her injuries were probably caused after her death or at the time of her death, probably from the action of the sea.

It was also noted that she was afraid of the thunder and lightning of which there was a certain amount on the night that she disappeared.