Police seek remains of Harmony Montgomery, tip hotline set up

CONCORD — Any hope that remained of finding Harmony Montgomery alive evaporated Thursday afternoon.

According to state Attorney General John M. Formella, investigators have concluded that the Manchester girl, missing for nearly three years, is dead and that her death is the result of foul play.

This, despite the fact that her remains have yet to be found.

“Harmony Montgomery was murdered in Manchester in early of December 2019,” said Formella. He made the announcement at a joint press conference at the Incident Planning and Operations Center, alongside Manchester Police Chief Allen D. Aldenburg and U.S. Marshal Enoch F. Willard.

Formella said the ongoing investigation, which had been considered a missing person case, was now being treated as a homicide. He did not, however, divulge any specific evidence or information that led investigators to conclude Harmony is deceased.

“While Harmony’s remains have not yet been located, multiple sources of investigative information, including biological evidence, lead to this conclusion.”

The investigation into Harmony Montgomery’s disappearance, and now murder, has been a combined effort between the Manchester Police, the U.S. Marshal’s Office and multiple other law enforcement agencies. According to Formella, that cooperative effort will continue, with an emphasis on identifying Harmony’s killer and locating her remains.

While Harmony was last seen in October 2019, law enforcement was not made aware she was missing until December 2021. In January of this year, Adam Montgomery, Harmony’s father, was arrested and charged with second-degree assault, interference with custody, and endangering the welfare of a child in connection with her disappearance.

In April, Kayla Montgomery, Adam’s wife and Harmony’s step-mother, was arrested and charged with welfare fraud, for allegedly cashing $1,500 worth of Harmony’s state assistance checks during the time the girl was missing. In June, prosecutors added a charge of perjury, alleging she lied during grand jury testimony.

Neither Adam Montgomery nor Kayla Montgomery has been charged in connection to Harmony’s murder.

Harmony’s disappearance has shone a critical spotlight onto the government entities charged with protecting children.

Harmony was initially placed in the care of the Massachusetts Office of Children and Family Services in 2014, when she was just 2 months old. Her mother, Crystal Sorey, struggled with substance abuse and her father, Adam Montgomery, was in jail.

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According a report filed by the Massachusetts Office of the Child Advocate, she remained in the Department of Child and Family Services custody until February 2019, when a Massachusetts Juvenile Court awarded full custody to her father, who had been released from jail and was living in New Hampshire.

The OCA report (https://www.mass.gov/news/oca-releases-investigation-report-on-case-of-harmony-montgomery) offers a scathing indictment of Massachusetts DCF, the Juvenile Court and the attorneys involved in the case. It outlines a litany of errors and lack of concern for the well-being of Harmony Montgomery throughout the process. Among them, that the New Hampshire Division for Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) was not notified and required to follow up on the change in custody and check on Harmony’s well-being.

“The central and most important finding in this investigation and report is that Harmony’s individual needs, well-being, and safety were not prioritized or considered on an equal footing with the assertion of her parents’ rights to care for her in any aspect of the decision making by any state entity,” said Maria Mossaides, director, Office of the Child Advocate in Massachusetts.

Harmony’s mother last spoke with her daughter via Facetime in April 2019. After that, Adam Montgomery cut off all contact between the mother and daughter.

In July 2019, police allege Adam Montgomery punched Harmony, resulting in a black eye. Police didn’t learn of this incident until December 2021, when informed by Adam Montgomery’s uncle. This would later lead to Adam Montgomery being arrested in January and charged with assault.

Harmony was last seen sometime around October or November 2019, according to family members.

In November 2021, Sorey filed a missing persons report with Manchester Police. This led to New Hampshire DCYF becoming involved and reporting that not only could they not locate Harmony but that the Manchester School Department had no record of her ever being enrolled.

According to investigators, during the time period when Harmony was missing, Kayla and Adam Montgomery split up, with Kayla alleging spousal abuse. The couple share three children and in March 2021, Kayla took them and moved in with her mother.

Formella is asking anyone with any information about the location of Harmony’s remains or the circumstances of her murder, to call or text the 24-hour tip line dedicated to Harmony Montgomery at 603-203-6060.

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