EP. 148: NEW HAMPSHIRE - The Brutal Murder of Harmony Montgomery
2024-03-22 02:52:22
MURDER IN AMERICA is a true crime podcast that takes a state-by-state look at the most infamous homicides across the United States of America. Co-hosted by Courtney Shannon & Colin Browen (of "The Paranormal Files"), the two delve deep into the darkest tales of murder from each and every state, featuring a from a different state every week. Their passion for true crime, along with Colin's career in investigating paranormal activity gives the two a fresh outlook on these crimes, and allows them to gain the deepest perspectives possible when analyzing the grisly details of these horrific acts. Welcome, to Murder in America. - New episodes are posted every Friday. - If you LIKE what we do, you can gain access to BONUS PODCASTS by becoming a Patron!: https://www.patreon.com/murderinamerica - FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/murderinamerica/ - FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: https://twitter.com/murderinamerica - FOLLOW COLIN'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL (876,000 Subscribers): https://www.youtube.com/theparanormalfilesofficialchannel - FOLLOW COURTNEY ON INSTAGRAM!: https://instagram.com/courtbrowen/ - FOLLOW COLIN ON INSTAGRAM!: https://www.instagram.com/colinbrowen/
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Trigger warnings from the stories we cover may include violence, rape, murder, and offenses against children.
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It's said that a father's love is a pillar of strength, guidance, and encouragement, ultimately shaping a child's sense of security and self-worth. However, not all fathers can effectively fulfill their role, especially when there are underlying factors like addiction, mental illness, or abuse. And the story we have for you today has a little bit of everything. We didn't initially plan to tell this story right away, but I have been following this case religiously. So we decided to take all of the information we could find and put it together for you.
The case is about a five-year-old little girl named Harmony Montgomery, who went missing back in 2019.
. However, her disappearance would go unnoticed for two whole years. Within those years, no one had seen the five-year-old little girl. And, even though her family had a history with the child protective services, no one was looking for her. Harmony's young life would fall through the cracks of the child protection system, the same system that had been created to ensure her safety.
Despite extensive searches and investigations, Harmony Montgomery has never been found. But her father, Adam Montgomery, would ultimately be charged with her murder. This case would shed light on an abusive household. It would uncover the truth about what happened to Harmony. And it would reveal a disturbing glimpse in what can only be described as pure evil.
This case is also currently unfolding. So we will be giving updates as it goes. But this is the horrific story of five-year-old Harmony Montgomery. I'm Courtney Brown.
And I'm Colin Brown.
And you're listening to Murder in America.
Harmony Renee Montgomery was born on June 7, 2014, to Crystal Sorey and Adam Montgomery. During the time of her birth, Adam was serving time in prison for armed robbery, armed assault to murder, carrying a firearm without a license, and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building. In early 2014,, a frantic 911 call came in to the Haverhill Police Department, where a man said he had been shot in the face. He told investigators that Adam Montgomery had met up with him to purchase a bag of heroin. But when he pulled out the drugs, Adam aimed a gun in his direction and attempted to rob him.
From there, the two men wrestled on the ground, and the drug dealer ended up grabbing Adam's gun, which caused it to fire off, and a bullet would end up hitting him in the face. After the brawl, Adam Montgomery managed to run away, but the Haverhill Police were able to successfully track him down. As it turns out, Adam also had a bullet wound to his arm, and from there he was promptly arrested and charged for the crime. Ultimately, Adam was convicted and given a suspended sentence of 18 months to run concurrently with another unrelated charge from another case. So, as you can see, Adam was no stranger to the criminal justice system, and he had an extensive criminal background that dated back to 2007,, when he was only 17 years old.
In one of these incidents, Adam was convicted of threatening a 15-year-old girl with a knife. He pleaded guilty in that case, and the victim he threatened would later admit, He has a black soul, but now it's 2014, and Adam is in prison again. And, sadly, while he was incarcerated, Crystal Sori would give birth to their daughter, Harmony.
After Harmony's birth, Crystal struggled with her own demons involving drug abuse, something she admitted got worse after Harmony was diagnosed with a visual disability. According to Crystal, Harmony had been misdiagnosed twice before it was realized that she was blind in her right eye. The stress of being a new single mother, mixed with a disability, caused Crystal to continue using illegal substances, and, only a few weeks after her birth, the Haverhill office of the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families received three complaints that Crystal was using drugs and neglecting her newborn daughter. Ultimately, the DCF opened a case against Crystal and determined that she was neglectful, but Harmony was not removed from her custody. Two months later, in August of 2014,, two more complaints were filed against Crystal, and it was determined that she was actively using illegal drugs, and putting her daughter, Harmony, at risk.
Due to this, Harmony was removed from Crystal's care and placed into a foster home with a woman named Michelle Raftery.
Here is Harmony's mom, Crystal.
Would you please state your full name and spell both your first and your last name?
My name is Crystal Renee Sori, C-R-Y-S-T-A-L-S-O-R-E-Y.
And Ms. Sori, what town do you live in?
I live in Fitchburg, Massachusetts.
How long have you lived there?
A year and five months.
And how far did you go in school?
I didn't graduate high school.
I'd like to ask you about a specific day, June 7, 2014.
. What significance, if any, does that day have for you?
It was the day my daughter Harmony was born.
And Harmony was a girl, correct?
Yes.
Have you had any other daughters besides Harmony?
No.
And what was her full name?
Harmony, Renee Montgomery.
Same middle name as you?
Yes.
What was her medical condition when she was born?
She was blind in her right eye. She was misdiagnosed twice before that.
Yeah, just blind in her right eye.
And after about three months after she was born, who did she go to live with?
Michelle Rafferty.
And do you know, Michelle?
Very well.
Why did she go to live with Michelle?
I am a recovering drug addict. I was struggling at the time handling her diagnosis.
I was struggling.
Is it fair to say that who you are now, in 2024, is different than who you were in 2014?
Very.
For the next four months of Harmony's life, she would live with Michelle and her husband in their home. And Michelle was more than equipped to care for her. She had been working within foster care for many years, and she loved it. In the summer of 2014,, DCF called Michelle and told her about a little girl named Harmony who needed a home. They also informed her of Harmony's medical condition, called hydrinencephaly, which is a serious birth defect that can affect brain development.
And this diagnosis meant that Harmony wouldn't have an easy life. Here is Michelle.
You begin by stating and spelling your last name for the record.
Yep, Michelle Raftery, R-A-F-T-E-R-Y.
And what's your date of birth, Ms. Raftery?
9-11-70.
Where do you currently live?
Haverhill, Massachusetts.
And how long have you lived there?
In Haverhill, about 25 years.
Who do you live there with?
My husband and three of my children.
And what's your husband's name?
Timothy.
And your children? What are their ages?
Oh, their ages? Ben's 25, Jayden is 14, and Claire is 13..
And do you have children that live with you?
Those are the ones that live with me, yeah.
What do you do for a living?
I'm a behavioral health partner.
And how long have you done that?
For a year.
Prior to that, what did you do for a living?
I was an FRL, a family resource liaison.
And can you explain what that is to the jurors?
Yes, I work with foster parents, and I help support them and run support groups and trainings for them.
Do you have any experience as a foster parent yourself?
Yes, I do, over 13 years.
And can you tell the jury about that experience?
Yes. We had the privilege of being... We had the privilege of being Harmony's foster parents.
And you mentioned the name Harmony just now.
Yep.
Who is she to you?
She was our foster daughter.
What did she call you?
Mama.
Your husband, Tim, what did she call him?
She called him Dada and Papa.
You said that you'd been a foster parent for 13 years? Yep. What point in that time, or in those 13 years, did you take Harmony in?
Like, probably halfway through. Probably halfway through the years. Yep. So she came to us in 2014..
And tell us about that.
Yep. So, you know, you always start off, you get a phone call from DCF, and they tell you a little bit about the child. And Harmony was two months old at the time, and she had a pretty intimidating diagnosis at first. So, you know, I did a lot of Google research, but I still knew that we wanted to say yes, and Harmony came and lived with us when she was two months old.
Pretty intimidating. What were you told about Harmony before you took her in?
So we were told that she has hydroprocephaly, which is like a disorder with her brain stem. And we were told that she was legally blind in both eyes, and that she probably wasn't going to live seven months.
I'm sorry, can you say that last thing?
Yeah, that she probably wasn't going to live past seven months old.
Hydro.
Hyloprocephaly was the original first diagnosis.
You mentioned this blindness. What can you tell us about that?
So at that time, she had a whole team of doctors, and she was considered legally blind in both eyes. However, I started to notice when I would feed Harmony that she would track me with one of her eyes, at least one of her eyes. And, you know, then we went on to get different diagnoses for her.
You mentioned having Harmony since she was two months old.
Yes.
What was Harmony's date of birth?
6-7-14.
June 7, 2014?
That's correct.
What kind of child was Harmony Montgomery?
She was a loving child. She was very sweet, very happy.
She was super social. She loved to be with people. We used to joke around with her, to leave a sparkle wherever she went, because wherever she went, she left people happy, and you knew that you met her.
During the time Harmony lived with Michelle, she had a good life. She was loved, fed, cuddled, and given everything she needed. But the only problem was that Michelle's loving home was only temporary. By January of 2015,, her biological mother, Crystal, was given back custody of seven-month-old Harmony. And although she had gotten her drug addiction under control, things still weren't easy.
Harmony's father, Adam, was still in prison. But that very month, Crystal brought Harmony to the prison to meet her dad for the very first time.
Adam Montgomery was born in 1990 to two teenage parents, and his childhood was damaged by drug abuse and violence. It was reported that his father, Michael, was only 16 years old during the time of his birth, and his mother was 15.. Due to their young age, Adam was placed into the custody of Michael's family, along with his three-year-old brother. His mother would later tell the Boston Globe that she never had a relationship with her son, and he was originally supposed to be put up for adoption until his grandparents stepped in. As for her thoughts on Michael's family gaining custody, she said, I don't even know those people.
Meanwhile, while in the custody of his paternal grandparents, his biological father, Michael, went on a crime spree in 1995 in which he robbed a McDonald's in Revere, Massachusetts, using a toy gun and wearing a mask. He pleaded guilty to the crime and was sentenced to six to nine years at the Susa Baranowski Correctional Center. In 1999, court records indicated that he committed the crime out of desperation to obtain more heroin. He further added, To this day, I regret having fallen into this drug addict lifestyle, which, I know now, could have only ended in harm to myself, my family, and the community in general.
By 2002, Adam's grandfather had passed away, and his grandmother, Helen, decided to move to Bedford, New Hampshire, with the two boys. Neighbors reported that they lived in a three-bedroom colonial house, but the boys were constantly yelling and trashing the place. And to them, it seemed like Grandma Helen was never able to control them.
In June 2004,, when Adam was 14 years old, his father, Michael, was out of prison and was granted custody of his son. The two moved to Clearwater, Florida, and records indicated that Adam enrolled in high school. However, after only a few months, in September of 2004,, Adam reportedly stole his uncle's BMW, crashed it, and then attempted to run away. One year later, in 2005,, Adam ran away again. It was obvious that Michael couldn't control his son, and he eventually returned to his grandmother's house in New Hampshire.
In 2007,. Adam was 17 years old, and he seemed to be following in his own father's criminal footsteps. That year, while living with his grandma, he even threatened a neighbor with gardening shears. His grandma, Helen, watched it all unfold, and she even tried to step in. But in response, Adam shoved his grandma to the ground.
Eventually, the police would arrive, but when they asked Helen for a statement, she protected her grandson, telling them that she didn't see anything. According to the Bedford Police Department, quote, This police department has been called by neighbors to this residence within the recent past, involving family fights outside. We have received numerous reports of minor assaults on Helen from the various males living with her, and upon investigating these allegations, she has remained uncooperative and denies them. End quote. One neighbor, a man named Robert Reynolds, admitted that he believed she was scared of her own grandchildren.
At one point, Adam had kicked in the front door of her house, causing extensive damage. Robert had been the one to go over and help her replace the door, because he felt bad. Of course, other neighbors also witnessed the violence, including a man named Neil Forrest, who said, quote, They were a troubled family, and you could tell. End quote.
Unfortunately, Adam continued to spiral, and in July 2007, Bedford police found him inside a McDonald's bathroom stall with his 29-year-old uncle. According to the report, Adam's uncle, Kevin Montgomery, had multiple track marks on his arms from extensive drug use, and Adam was found in possession of a knife and a bag of heroin. The police noted that 17-year-old Adam had a tattoo of a teardrop below his left eye, something that is often associated with gang and prison culture. Adam was charged with heroin possession and violating a city ordinance, but, according to the Boston Globe, he was able to successfully fight the charges. However, his crime spree didn't end, and he continued to get himself into trouble.
Shockingly, in 2008,, Adam was a suspect in the shooting death of a 28-year-old man named Darlene Guzman. According to reports, Darlene was outside in the parking lot of a convenience store called White Hen Pantry in Lynn, Massachusetts, when he was shot to death. The owner of the store told investigators that he heard an argument outside, followed by gunshots, and when he went out to investigate, he found Darlene on the ground with a single gunshot wound to his chest, and unfortunately, after being taken to the hospital, he would pass away from his injuries. But witnesses were able to give investigators a description of the shooter, a description that matched Adam. He was around 6 feet tall, in his early 20s, and he was wearing a red hooded sweatshirt.
The suspect was also said to have been driving a red Honda Accord. Now, the police would end up talking to Darlene's family members, who said that he had planned to meet up with Adam Montgomery that day, although they didn't know exactly why the two were meeting. We also aren't sure what kind of car Adam was driving at the time, but he was, and continues to be, a person of interest in Darlene's murder. However, it is still unsolved to this day. But, interestingly enough, just four days after Darlene's murder, Adam would break into an apartment in Malden with another man, and while there, he held three women at gunpoint, demanding money, although it would later be confirmed that the gun he had was a pellet gun.
But after the robbery, Adam was on the run. The women that he robbed went to the police, and a warrant was out for his arrest. But no one could find him, and his life of crime continued. In fact, while on the run, he even stabbed another man in the leg during an altercation. But luckily, after a few months, he would be caught and arrested.
Despite his lengthy criminal background, Harmony's mother, Crystal, said the two met through a mutual friend and had a brief romance before she found out she was pregnant. She admitted during an interview with the Boston Globe that Adam was known to be misogynistic and manipulative towards women. She said that when she found out that the two were going to have a daughter, she was concerned, and told reporter Laura Cremaldi, Adam has a severe hatred of women. Nonetheless, Harmony was born in June, but wouldn't meet her father until she was seven months old. Although Crystal now had custody of Harmony, it wouldn't last, and a few months later, in April 2015,, Crystal would once again lose custody due to neglect that was associated with her renewed drug abuse.
For the second time in her short life, Harmony went back into the care of her foster mom, Michelle Raftery. In July 2015,, DCF changed Harmony's permanency plan from reunification with her mother to adoption. During the next two years of Harmony's life, she would live with Michelle, who admitted she was an extremely bright child who met all of her milestones without any issues.
How long was Harmony in your care for?
So, which time? We took care of Harmony? three times. She came back into care three times. So, for the first time, she was with us for about two months.
Then she returned to her mother, and then she returned to us. And then she stayed with us for about a little over two and a half years, and then she went back with her mother and then came back ten months later.
You mentioned these disabilities.
Yes.
Was Harmony developmentally delayed?
She was not. It definitely could have been a possibility. She started off with that original diagnosis, and through going through testing, she had a neurologist, endocrinologist, ophthalmologist, and we had a whole team of specialists that worked with her, and they changed the diagnosis to septo-optic dysplasia.
And were you taking any steps when she was in your care to treat her needs?
Yeah, absolutely. Harmony had, like I said, a team of doctors, but she also had early intervention workers, so she had a nurse that came weekly, and she had a vision specialist that came weekly, and we did all the treatments and the programs that she needed with that.
Was she meeting benchmarks at that time?
She was meeting every benchmark. She was succeeding, yeah.
Harmony was thriving in her new environment. In September of 2015,, her father, Adam, would be released from prison, but for an entire year, he showed no interest in maintaining a relationship with her. However, in September of 2016,, he finally contacted DCF to resume visits with Harmony. It was reported that Adam had five supervised visitations, but then he stopped all contact with DCF about future visits. In February of 2017, DCF changed Harmony's permanency plan goal from adoption back to reunification with her mom, Crystal.
And one month later, in March, Harmony was once again returned to the custody of her mother. By this time, Harmony was almost three years old, and had spent a total of 28 months in foster care. However, it would not be a happy ending, and in January of 2018, at the age of three and a half, Harmony was removed from her mother's home for a third time due to neglect brought on by substance abuse. And like the previous times before, Harmony was placed back into the care of Michelle Raftery. It was a horrible back and forth situation for her.
Children need stability, and constantly moving between homes is confusing. But life with Michelle and her husband was the best situation for her, and Michelle loved Harmony like she was one of her own. Michelle desperately wanted to adopt Harmony and save her from this unstable environment. However, in August of 2018, after not seeing Harmony for nearly a year, Adam once again started supervised visitations.
In December 2018, the Office of the Child Advocate started working towards a new goal of reunification with Adam instead of Crystal. The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children requested that the New Hampshire Division of Children, Youth, and Families conduct a thorough home study of Adam's residence in Manchester, New Hampshire. However, according to Amy Covino at WMUR, the request did not include all the necessary information needed to conduct a home study at Adam's residence. A few months later, in February 2019, a hearing was held in Lawrence, Massachusetts, to consider both Crystal and Adam's requests for permanent custody of Harmony. Unfortunately, Crystal did not attend the hearing, as she was at another court hearing during the same time for another one of her children.
It's important to note that the additional information needed to conduct the home study was still being gathered and the DCF attorney objected to Harmony being placed with Adam without any background information on the family and without the home study being investigated. Unfortunately, the attorneys that represented Adam, Crystal, and Harmony all agreed that Harmony would be better suited at the home of her father, and the family judge granted him full custody. The judge believed that Adam Montgomery was a fit parent under Massachusetts law and that the ICPC should not infringe upon his rights to parent his own child. When the ruling reached Crystal, she was shocked to learn that Adam received full custody.
Crystal would later tell Court TV that having to choose between her two children's hearings was extremely difficult. Her son, Jameson, was potentially getting adopted by another family during his hearing, so she ultimately chose to attend that one over Harmony's, saying, If I wasn't at either of them, it was going to go bad for me. So I sent the courthouse proof that I was at my other child's hearing, and they went ahead and moved forward and granted Adam custody. So in the same day, not only did my son get adopted, but my daughter got handed over to the one person that I begged them to never give her to. So from here, Adam Montgomery brought Harmony to New Hampshire, where he was living with his wife, Kayla, and their two young children, Declan and Seamus.
When Harmony's foster mom, Michelle, learned that she was going to be taken away for good, she was devastated.
Mr. Rafferty, when was the last time you saw Harmony Montgomery?
The last time I saw Harmony was December of 2018.
Your Honor, may I approach the witness? Yes.
Your Honor, I'm showing the witness what's been marked for identification as State's Exhibit 97.
Ms. Rafferty, do you recognize this?
I do.
I'm going to get close to a microphone so I can pick that up. What is this?
That's the day that they were doing school pictures, and she wanted to have a sparkly blue dress.
And do you recognize the person that's depicted in this picture?
Yes. Who is it? It's Harmony Montgomery.
Is this a fair and accurate representation of Harmony, as you remember her?
Yes.
But sadly, there was nothing Michelle could do. Harmony was now in the custody of her father, Adam, living at 77 Guildford Street in New Hampshire. Neighbors. there would later say that police presence at the home was frequent due to loud arguments, trash, and reports of other Montgomery family members squatting at the house. Between 2018 and 2021, it was reported that the police responded to calls at the residence a total of 29 times.
Now, despite losing custody of her daughter, Crystal did see Harmony on a few occasions.
At some point in 2019, who got custody of Harmony?
Adam.
Where was Adam living at the time?
Manchester, New Hampshire.
Do you remember what street he was living on?
Guildford Street.
And is that where Harmony was as well?
Yes.
What, if any, visits did you have with Harmony after she went to live with Adam Montgomery?
I had two physical visits with her. And then I had two FaceTime calls. Both very brief.
The physical visits, where did you visit her?
Excuse me. Guildford Street.
Did you visit with her outside the home or inside the home?
Inside the home.
Inside the home. Did you see where her room was?
No.
He never showed me.
When you say he, who is he?
Adam never showed me.
I was only allowed in the living room or the bathroom.
How did you communicate with Adam at that time?
Facebook. Yeah, he wouldn't give me his number.
When did you last see Harmony?
April.
April of? April of 2019?.
Yeah, right before Easter.
How did you see her?
I was doing a Facebook video call. That was how, I had job training. So I couldn't do a physical visit that week because I didn't know my schedule.
You said that was before Easter, is that correct?
Yes.
Did you see her on Easter?
Yes.
Were you able to see her after that?
No.
What did you try to do to be able to see her or talk to her after that?
I just kept reaching out to Adam and Kayla and asking, begging them to let me see her. I was sorry for whatever I did. I wasn't even sure what I did. But I was just trying to reach out to really anybody at that point. His family, his grandmother, his uncle, his dad, anybody.
The last time Crystal ever saw Harmony was in April 2019, a few days before the Easter holiday. According to a report from the governor of New Hampshire, on July 29, 2019, an anonymous phone call was placed to the New Hampshire DCYF intake regarding abuse towards Harmony. The caller indicated that they had visited the Montgomery family during the week of July 22nd and stated that the five-year-old girl had a black eye and that Adam had admitted to causing the injury. It was later determined that the phone call came from Adam's uncle, Kevin Montgomery.
Here is Kevin Montgomery describing this incident.
Let me ask you, when you got home, did you see Harmony there?
I did.
Where did you see her?
I seen her standing in the kitchen.
And when you saw her in the kitchen, how did she look to you?
She had a black eye.
Can you describe it for us? How did the black eye look?
Um, full. Like a raccoon's eye. Black and blue.
Black and blue?
Yes.
And when you say full, what do you mean by full? Can you give us a good example? All the way around. All the way around. And I see, just there you were pointing to your right eye.
Did you see it on her right eye?
I honestly can't recall, but I think the left.
Okay. You think the left. Okay. I appreciate that for your honesty there.
You said you saw her in the kitchen with this black eye?
Yes.
So, when you saw her in the kitchen with this black eye, what, if anything, did you say?
It's okay. Take your time.
Something along the words of,
oh, my fucking God, what did you do, Harmony?
And who answered that question?
My nephew, Adam.
Where was he?
Standing right behind her.
And what did Adam say?
She didn't do anything.
I bashed her around the fucking house.
Did Harmony ever say anything in response to the question, or just Adam saying, I bashed her around the fucking house?
I think just Adam.
How did Adam say this?
How did he say it? Yes.
Let's put it this way. Can you say it the way that he said it, so that we understand?
I'm not sure if I had to describe it to the best of my ability or be like a cocky son of a bitch.
Did Adam tell you why he bashed her around the house and caused the black eye?
He did.
What did he say?
He said he was in the bathroom, moving his bowels, and that he put Harmony in charge to watch Declan. And when he came out,
Harmony had her hands over his mouth, and I guess his lips were supposedly below. That's what was explained.
That's what Adam explained to you?
Correct.
And after he explained that, how did he say he caused the black eye?
I bashed her around the fucking house.
On the same day that the abuse was reported, the CPSW visited the Montgomery house on Guilford Street and observed the three children. It was concluded that they did not observe a black eye on Harmony, and an email was sent to the Manchester Police Department that everything appeared to be well. Interestingly, the interview had been brief, and Harmony was not interviewed. The CPSW agents stated that they caught both Adam and Harmony entering a vehicle and leaving the residence when they arrived at the location.
But even though CPSW didn't think anything was wrong, Harmony's uncle, Kevin, did not take the abuse lightly. After he saw Harmony with the black eye, he also called numerous people in his family to tell them about what he had witnessed.
I told my sister Erin, my brothers Sean, Michael, and Richard.
I told one of Adam's friends, Nick and Erin. I told Harmony's mom, Crystal. I told Harmony's foster mom, Michelle.
I think I told my sister Janine, my mother Helen.
That's kind of what I remember.
Can you just repeat the question again?
That's alright, I believe you answered the question. Let me ask, did you also make any calls to the, what's called DCYF, the Division of Children, Youth, and Families?
I did.
And the Nicholas and the Erin that you referred to, is that Nicholas the same person as Nicholas Ahern?
Yes.
And is that Erin the same person as Erin Rue?
Yes.
Why did you tell all these people? Why did you call DCYF about this?
Say that again?
Yes. Why did you tell all of these people?
To get help.
Help for who?
For Harmony.
In September of 2019, Harmony's uncle, Kevin Montgomery, saw her for the very last time. During his interaction with Adam, he explained that Adam apologized for giving Harmony a black eye. It seemed as if Adam knew he had to be on his best behavior. About a month earlier, CPSW had visited their home again. In that time, they interviewed Adam, Harmony, and Adam's wife Kayla.
The CPSW agent noticed a red mark inside Harmony's eye and what appeared to be a faded bruise underneath the eyelid. But both Adam and Harmony told CPSW that the injury had been caused by a lightsaber during a play fight with one of her younger brothers. Adam's wife Kayla admitted that she did not see the wound when it happened, but she said that Adam and Harmony had told her a similar story. When CPSW spoke with Harmony's biological mother, Crystal, she informed the agent that she had lost custody of Harmony, and after Easter of 2019, Adam wouldn't allow her any more contact with her daughter. Here is Crystal describing these efforts.
Did you try to reach out through the months of May and June?
Yes.
What about in July?
I believe so.
Did you receive any phone call from Kevin Montgomery, Adam's uncle, in July?
Yes.
I'm not going to go into the detail of what was said, but after that call, did you continue these efforts you talked about before, trying to get in touch with Adam?
Yes.
And what about September of 2019?
? Were you trying to get in touch with Adam then?
Yes.
What about October and November of 2019?
? Were you trying to get in touch with Adam then?
Yes.
Christmas of 2019?
Yes. Were you in touch with him then?
Yes.
Were any of those successful?
No.
Did you see or hear from Harmony at all during that time period?
No.
During the course of the investigation with CPSW, it was reported that they visited the Montgomery home a total of three times, with two of the times being unannounced. The final visit was made on October 1st, 2019, and it was reported that the three children, including Harmony, appeared to be happy and healthy. Despite finding no signs of abuse or neglect, CPSW scored the situation as high risk due to Adam's history of drug abuse, prior history with child protection services, and other economic challenges that the family was facing. On October 17th, 2019,, a final letter was sent to Adam and Kayla, letting them know about CPSW's findings, and information about additional services that could help assist the family with housing. On January 8th, 2020, another call was made to the New Hampshire DCYF regarding another child at the Montgomery household.
Once again, CPSW arrived at the house and asked about Harmony. However, Adam mentioned that Harmony no longer lived with him, and she had gone back into the care of her mother, Crystal, in Massachusetts. Kayla Montgomery would later confirm this story, saying that the last time that she physically saw Harmony was after Thanksgiving 2019.. She said that one morning before work, she saw Adam and Harmony, and the two were leaving the residence to return Harmony to Crystal. Unfortunately, Harmony was not returned to Crystal.
She said that in early 2020, both Kayla and Adam blocked her on Facebook, and said she could not get into contact with her daughter.
What about in the year 2020? Did you continue to try to find and get in touch with Harmony or Adam?
I'm sorry, can you repeat that?
No problem. What about the following year, in the year 2020?? Did you try to get a hold of Adam and Harmony?
Yes, I had made a new Facebook hoping, because he had blocked me, and so did Kayla, I was hoping to get through to him that way.
According to the Governor of New Hampshire's report, on January 21, 2020, the CPSW called Crystal, wanting to confirm that Harmony was indeed living with her. However, Crystal did not answer, and they were forced to leave a voicemail that she never returned. In the meantime, DCYF continued to show up at Adam Montgomery's house, in response to concerns of the other children who lived there. During one of these visits, CPSW inquired about Harmony's whereabouts, but Adam told them again, that she had gone to live with her mother, and that he hadn't seen her in over a year. So, according to Adam, Harmony was with her mom, Crystal, but Crystal told them that she hadn't seen her daughter either.
So where was she? In September of 2021,, a person in close contact with Crystal called the DCYF, and reported that Crystal hadn't seen or heard from her daughter since 2019.. It was also reported that Crystal had tried on numerous occasions to contact both Adam and Kayla to set up a visitation, but was unsuccessful. It is important to note that in the official governor's record, New Hampshire DCYF has conducted a thorough review of its records, and has no record of any calls from Ms. Sori between October of 2019 and September of 2021..
Interestingly, Crystal disputed this evidence, and said that she called DCYF on multiple occasions between 2020 and 2021, although there is no record of it.
Did you try also through 2021?
Yes.
By December of 2021, what else were you doing to try to find Harmony to respond?
I was calling DCYF, I was telling my therapist, talking to anybody, that I knew was either a mandated reporter or had some type of leverage. because I wasn't getting anywhere. I had wrote also to the mayor.
In order to gather more evidence, the DCYF contacted the Manchester Department of Education to see if Harmony had been enrolled in school. When it was discovered that she had not, the issue was assigned to the Manchester DCYF District Office. Between the months of September and December 2021, the Manchester DCYF District Office attempted to locate the Montgomery family, as they had all but disappeared from their previous residence on Guilford Street. They called the last known phone numbers associated with both Adam and Kayla, spoke with family members, including Crystal Sorey, and searched the other known addresses that were associated with the family. By November 18th, 2021, the Manchester Police Department were notified, and they also joined in the search for Adam, Kayla, and Harmony.
Unfortunately, no one was able to locate the family, and the CPSW also reached out to Child Protective Services in Massachusetts and Maine. By December 2021, Crystal was now in direct contact with the Manchester Police Department, and she admitted that she gave full authorization for any information that would be pertinent in their investigation.
On December 28th, 2021, the Manchester Police Department finally located Kayla Montgomery, and she was brought to the station for a formal interview. According to their records, Kayla stated she had not physically seen Harmony since November of 2019.. Over two years ago, Kayla claimed she had been under the assumption that Adam returned her to Crystal. She said that after that day, she had not seen or heard about Harmony. As for Adam, Kayla mentioned that the two had broken up, and she hadn't seen him since October of 2021..
But during a brief telephone call with him, she learned that he had been living in a sober house. Then, once he moved from there, he moved to Maine with another woman named Kelsey Small. So on December 31st, 2021, a bee on the lookout was issued for Adam Montgomery. Manchester Police Detective Craig Stansel said that the police department was looking for a blue Pontiac with Maine plates that Adam had been driving, and they looked everywhere. Eventually, Detective Stansel located the vehicle on Harville Street, where unhoused people are known to stay.
And inside the car, he found both Adam Montgomery and Kelsey Small asleep. From there, Adam was questioned about his missing daughter, but he refused to tell the investigators where Harmony was located. But he was adamant that she was still alive. His new girlfriend, Kelsey, was also interviewed, and she said that the two had been dating for a little over a year. Kelsey said she was aware that Adam had four children, three with Kayla, two young boys, and a new infant daughter that was born after Harmony disappeared, and then one child with Crystal.
However, when pressed further about Harmony, Kelsey said that Adam never talked about her, and she had no idea where she was located. Here is the body cam footage from this interaction.
Hey, keep your hands where I can see them.
What's going on?
He was found sleeping in a car in a Manchester, New Hampshire, parking lot on December 31st, 2021, when investigators caught up with Adam Montgomery for the first time to question him about the whereabouts of his daughter, Harmony, who hadn't been seen in two years and is now presumed dead.
It just seems a little strange that you don't, like, you don't want to tell us where she is. All right. I just, I got nothing else to say to you guys. Your daughter's alive? Yeah.
Yes, sir. Positive.
Like, swear on your life. I swear on my life.
The initial interaction lasted a total of 45 minutes before police let Adam go. Meanwhile, back at the Manchester police station, Detective John Dunleavy and Detective Riley sat down for a voluntary interview with Kayla Montgomery. She told the detectives that the last time she physically saw Harmony was on November 30th, 2019.. This time she admitted that Adam had driven her to work at 6 a.m. as she had an early morning shift at the Dunkin' Donuts on Eddy Road in Manchester, New Hampshire.
She said that Harmony was also in the car with them because Adam told her that after he dropped her off, he was going to meet up with Crystal for an exchange of custody. When her shift ended at 2 p.m., Adam picked her up and Harmony was no longer in the car. Kayla admitted that she believed that Harmony had gone back to Massachusetts to live with her mother. With this new information, both detectives were concerned with Kayla's account of events. Throughout their investigation, they learned that during the time Adam said Harmony was with Crystal, she had been living at 39 Chapel Street, number three in Lowell, Massachusetts, with her new boyfriend, a man named Joseph Eckert.
Interestingly, Joseph Eckert had been interviewed and he told investigators that from October 2019 to present day, Harmony had not been inside the home, nor had the couple spoken to the child. According to the records from DCYF, Harmony Montgomery had not been physically seen by anyone since October 1st, 2019..
On December 31st, 2021, the Ninth Circuit Family Division ordered Adam to release Harmony Montgomery to the custody of DCYF. The order specifically stated that Adam Montgomery was to comply with the Manchester Police Department and help find the location of his daughter. Investigators went back out and located Adam walking down the street at around 4 p.m. that day. And it was then when Detective Riley issued the order to Adam.
Unfortunately, Adam did not cooperate with investigators and he refused to give up Harmony's location, saying he did not know her current whereabouts. Then, from there, Adam told them, quote, either arrest me or I'm leaving. And although investigators knew deep down that he had harmed his daughter,
they didn't have any proof.
So, with nothing to hold him on, Adam was released.
By now, the case of missing five-year-old Harmony Montgomery was making national news headlines, and the police were desperately trying to locate the young child. With an award of $40,000 now being offered for any information, tips started to roll in. On January 4th, 2022, Adam Montgomery was arrested and charged with second degree assault for the incident of giving Harmony, a black guy in July, 2019, interference with custody and two additional charges of endangering the welfare of a child. He was brought down to the Manchester police department for a formal interview, but it was obvious to investigators that he did not want to cooperate.
We understand this whole thing is getting a little out of hand. Would you agree? Of course.
So that's why. Look,
it's just the way you guys are going about it. And again, I don't know you specifically, but yeah, nobody comes out there like that for a second degree assault charge. Nobody better us for worse charges. They don't come out and throw a fucking flash bangs at my girlfriend's car and ram us into the fucking God rail. They don't do that for a second degree assault charge.
You understand what the charges are,
right?
Second degree assault, right? Yep. Okay. There's also an endangering the welfare of charge and interference with custody.
So how did I interfere with custody? So that paperwork that we served you the other day, you remember that? Okay. When they were in the alleyway, you remember, outside of Long Lake gap? Yeah.
There's paperwork that you have to comply with. You understand that,
right? We had that conversation. Did we not?
Right.
So that's, that's what that's all about. Like a second degree assault charge. What is this referring to? that's what we want to talk to you about. Explain to me what, if I'm being charged with it, what the hell am I being charged with for?
Well, your daughter had some injuries.
What? That you know about when you lived on Guilford street.
No, I do not.
What are you referring to?
Well, you were there. I wasn't right. What are you referring to? I'm referring to her having some good marks. What are you referring to?
Marks that were left on her by you. Absolutely not. I had nothing else to say.
Adam denied ever hurting any of his children and even said that the kids always seemed happy. He brought up DCYF coming to his home on Guilford street on numerous occasions without finding any evidence of abuse and eventually closing the case.
So if your daughter had marks on her at some point when he lived over there, how would you explain those?
How would you get those marks?
Well, I would love to know when that marks was there, because DCYF came to my house multiple times. Okay. And we know,
we know that they came there. Right.
And, and closed the case. Okay. Do we know that DCYF is the flagship agency in the country? No, but if there was significant marks like you're referring to, I believe they would have flagged something at that point and they would have said something. They would have came, they would have seen that the kids were well taken care of.
All the kids loved being at the house with me. So, let me tell you about what second degree assault is. There's, cause. there's a lot that encompasses that charge. Basically, if there's a mark on a kid.
that's under a certain age,
it constitutes second degree assault. Although it is a felony, which sounds.
extremely intimidating,
it doesn't mean that somebody got their head bashed in or they got cut up or whatever. So, although it sounds pretty intimidating, the charge, I understand that.
What we're talking about.
doesn't mean that it's the craziest crime that's ever been committed. Do you understand what I mean? Okay.
So, somebody could have a bruise or a really bad welt on them.
and.
that would constitute second degree assault for a kid under a specific age. So, that's why that charge is there. So, nobody is saying that you took like a baseball bat or like stabbed your kid. Like, I'm just going to put that out there. That is not what anybody is saying about you.
So, I know you're concerned with when I say second degree assault, but
it sounds a lot worse than I think you're thinking it is. Is that, is,
are we kind of on the same page?
Yeah, but for you to sit there and say that.
it was.
inflected because of me.
We're just going with what we hear. You're not telling us anything. So, we're going with what we have. I don't even know what you're referring to. What are you referring to?
Your daughter had a mark on her face.
that people, multiple people, have told us was inflicted by you.
Multiple people that weren't even living with us at the time. Well, there was enough people that had spoken about it.
Yeah.
People share knowledge of what they know. So, so somebody, you telling him, and then he tells you, and then he tells you, so something that just gets passed down a line. It's, yeah, we're not talking,
I'm not talking about like a.
a game of telephone here. I'm saying that people say a story and then the details kind of fill themselves in. Like corroborate. Do you know what the word corroborate means?
Of course I do.
Okay. You're a smart guy. I'm not trying to insult your intelligence.
But
when people kind of fill in the blanks, that's what I mean by like. we're corroborating that story. But this is your time to tell me, kind of explain that. You know, if you're saying this was a mistake or this was an accident. I don't even know what you're referring to.
Like. that's what I'm trying to get at. I don't even know what you're referring to. I'm saying she had a mark on her face. Okay.
I don't even know what you're referring to. You don't recall your daughter ever having a mark on her face? The reason DCYF came out to visit you guys, you don't recall that?
Why did DCYF come out and start?
visiting you guys? What was the allegation? If I remember correctly, it was because of.
I believe at the time I could be wrong. I believe I've had something to do with my uncle saying I was using drugs. And I wasn't. Now, who's your uncle? So we are clear.
Kevin. Okay. And Kevin's last name? Montgomery.
According to Adam, Kevin Montgomery lived with the couple and their three children for a few months right after he received custody of Harmony. And according to Adam, the reason why Kevin issued the DCYF complaint was because Kevin had been kicked out of their home after he refused to pay the electricity bill. According to his story, CPSW responded to a tip that the home was unfit due to no electricity. Not because Harmony had a black eye.
So what time did DCYF get involved with you guys?
Were they over there often?
Or was it just like a certain period of time? They were there every single day. The police showed up every single day. Why were they there? Oh, that's what it was due to.
So Kevin moved out because.
between me and my wife and Kevin.
we were supposed to pay the bills, keep the heat on, the gas on, whatever. Well, Kevin was supposed to pay the electric bill. He didn't pay the electric bill. Me and my wife, I picked my wife from work and showed up at home. They were shutting the electricity off.
So me and Kevin got into an argument about.
not paying the bill. And he took his shit and moved out. And then so.
the next day.
or two days later, something like that. I don't know. DCYF showed up. And the police showed up because they said that we were unfit to have the children at the house because there was no electricity in the house.
Okay.
But we had a generator running. We had the fridge hooked up to it. There was food in the fridge. Everything was fine. The police showed up.
Seeing that the kids was fine. There was nothing wrong with them. The DCYF showed up and they left. And was that like summer or fall? Like when was that?
I want to say maybe spring, going into summer, maybe. Oh, okay. So, like you guys hadn't been there for too, too long. Six months or so. Okay.
And how did it end up that you guys got kicked out of there?
All right. So it was my grandmother's house. Right. They didn't pay the mortgage or whatever. They moved to Florida.
So the mortgage payments weren't being paid. And.
I don't know, right around Thanksgiving sometimes the sheriffs came and threw us out.
And then?
And then me, Harmony, and Declan, Seamus, and Kayla left. And where the heck did you guys go from there? We were in our car. Oh, so, you lived in your car at that time?
For.
a couple of days. Okay. And then
Did you have like a van or something like that back then at least?
What were you driving back then?
A Chrysler of some kind, I forget. Oh, so it was just like a sedan? A car, a sedan, yeah. Okay. So you're living in the car.
So you, Kayla, and the three kids were living in the car for a few days. And then how did you get out of that situation?
Like who took you in or where did you guys end up? We were in Kayla's mom's house.
Okay.
And what's her name?
Chris. Chris. She must be okay.
Is she willing to take you guys in? Oh, yeah. All right. All right. You know what, man?
I don't even want to talk anymore. This is just beating around the bush, man. It just seems a little too silly to me. Well, I'm trying to figure out who can substantiate your claims that you're not this monster of a person that either DCYF made you out to be, or your family, who you didn't get along with, or whoever. So that's why I'm trying to let you kind of speak your piece about.
all that shit. You know what I mean?
No, I get what you're saying. I just got nothing else to say.
It was later reported that the police were called to the residence on September 11th, 2019, after a neighbor reported a domestic dispute. When an officer arrived at the house, he found that it was without electricity, but a generator was running. Adam told the officer that their electricity had been shut off for several months. But when the officer looked through the home, the children appeared to be healthy, well-fed, and clean. In his notes, he also mentioned that the house appeared to be cluttered, but determined that it was still a safe environment for the three children.
But now that Adam was being questioned by detectives, he continued to be combative with them, and he absolutely refused to elaborate on any information regarding Harmony's whereabouts.
But yeah, no.
But to sit there, man, and sit there and tell me, you yourself, too, like this, is why I feel like it's just all bullshit. This is just a game. I know it is. I'm stupid. I'm just trying to give you the opportunity to explain yourself.
You're sitting there telling me not to make myself, not to make me out to look like some monster. I told my girlfriend the other day that she should get the fuck away from me, that you don't even know who I am and what my past is like and all types of crazy shit. But sit there and look me in my face.
Adam, I think you're talking about Kelsey? Yeah.
Okay. I think Kelsey might be exaggerating a little bit.
I don't know her to exaggerate like that. It wasn't us talking to Kelsey, either. There was other people talking to her, just so you know. She gave me your card and said this was the guy that said it. Okay.
Well, I'm telling you that I didn't say that. But if you want to believe it, that's fine. I mean, she never had no reason to lie to me. So I don't know what she could lie about at that point. She also told me she had no idea that you had a daughter.
So I guess we could say the same thing about you telling her that.
Right.
She knew I had a daughter. I mean, I have one with Kayla, so she knew I had a daughter.
She didn't know who I was.
She knew I had other kids. She told me she had no idea that you ever lived there.
and that you barely knew her.
I don't know if she was lying to me. I have no idea. I don't know her. I know you better than her, so that's what I'm saying.
So Christina takes you guys in, and she's doing all right, and then do you guys move over to Union Street after that? Is that when you guys get that thought? No, we go to the shelter. And that's the one on...? Like, yeah.
Okay. Who's we? Who went to the shelter? They allowed you to go as a family to the shelter? See, I thought they didn't like guys there.
for some reason. They always like guys there. They didn't let me in there this time for no reason. Their reason was bullshit, because I would have been there with Kayla again. So back then, they let you in there?
Yeah. And it was all of you guys? It was the five of you? They let you guys stay there?
No, no, no.
All right.
Yeah, you guys.
. I'm trying to understand. I don't know your timeline of life, man.
You're there. I'm not.
That's why I'm trying to ask you these questions. Look, I already told you the other day what transpired. We all didn't even go to her mother's house.
Who didn't go to her mother's house?
Harmony was all.
. Okay, so Harmony didn't go to Chris' house. So explain to me how she didn't end up going to Chris' house. I've already explained this to you.
Okay.
Well, there's some discrepancies between what you're telling us and what other people are telling us. So you're saying you brought her down to Mass, that someone said she came up from Mass... I never once said I brought her down to Mass.
What did you say? She came up here to get her? I never once said... I was on your video recording the other day. I never once said I went down to Mass.
So you're saying that she came up from Mass.
I'm not saying anything else.
Why is it that you refuse to talk about her every time we bring her up? Because you guys are just sitting here beating a fucking bush. It's over and over. You guys asked me what happened the other day. I told you what happened.
You wouldn't tell us the other day.
You guys talked to me the other day.
I explained to him what happened the other day. And now, can I... It was just a charade. No, don't worry about it. You're not under arrest.
And I'll come up with some fucking bullshit.
I didn't arrest you. No, the other day. You were ready to go. Roll up on me and...
Fucking D-Tex. follow me around for the last three days. People are coming out of the woodwork. That's what we're trying to tell you.
We don't want you to be painted as a monster.
We want you to maybe explain yourself a little bit. And give us some side of your story.
We have nothing. We have just what we're hearing from people.
Forty thousand bucks can attract a lot of people. Whether you believe you're her friends or not. It's a lot of money. I know what it is. Absolutely it is.
That's what we're trying to get. Now's your time. You keep locking up on us. You don't want to tell us anything about her. I got nothing else to say.
Towards the end of the interview, one of the detectives asked Adam the one pertinent question that was on everyone's mind. Was Harmony still alive?
What's up, guys? I got nothing else to say. Hey, can you make me a promise? Like man to man? Can you tell me that she's alive?
You're going to play the same word games that you played with me the other day? It's not word games. I got nothing else to say. We care, man. We want to know.
This isn't going to go anywhere. This isn't going to stop. No, it's not. So, either get on the bus now or get run over. I got nothing else to say.
Why is it? you have so much trouble talking about Harmony? I got nothing else to say.
I want a lawyer with me.
I'm going to leave this copy of this. Ex parte, or it's a petition from DCYF.
You can read it later. sometime. I'll put it in your property.
It's basically the same thing you got the other day. It's just a little more detailed that we handed you. It does say that you're ordered to help us locate Harmony Beards. unless you're not going to do that. I'm just telling you, I want a lawyer.
Alright.
Adam Montgomery was held at the Hillsborough County House of Corrections. Meanwhile, the Manchester Police Department continued to investigate Kayla Montgomery after her interview on December 31st, 2021.. They discovered that Kayla filed an affidavit on February 25th, 2019 with the Department of Health and Human Services Division of Family Assistance to add Harmony Montgomery to the family's food stamp account. With Harmony living with Adam and Kayla full time, it meant that the family would receive additional money for assistance. Originally, Kayla told investigators that she had tried to remove Harmony from their account but wasn't successful.
During their investigation, they learned that Kayla never called to remove Adam's daughter and she continued to receive additional money until June 2nd, 2021.
. The Manchester Police Department determined that Kayla received over $1,500 in food stamps for Harmony between the months of December 2019 and June 2021.. Despite Kayla and Adam's story that Harmony had been out of the Montgomery household since late November 2019.. Due to this discovery, Kayla was arrested on January 6th, 2022 and charged with one felony count of welfare fraud. A few days later, on January 11th, 2022, the charge was dropped, but Kayla remained in jail on a $5,000 bail for a new felony charge of theft by deception and two misdemeanor counts of welfare fraud.
Meanwhile, the Manchester Police, with additional help from the FBI, conducted a two-day search at Adam and Kayla's previous residence at 77 Guilford Street. It was reported that during the search, they dug up the backyard, hoping to find any evidence related to Harmony's disappearance. Unfortunately, nothing was found.
As the case continued to gain attention, the original $40,000 reward grew to over $100,000 and tips continued to roll into the police department. Adam's uncle, Kevin Montgomery, also came forward in January of 2022 and he described the last time he saw Harmony alive. In an interview with the Daily Beast, Kevin said that in October of 2019, he had returned to the house on Guilford Street and tried to push his way through the front door. However, Adam and Kayla wouldn't let him in, but he was able to catch a glance at Harmony and he said she, quote, looked like a scared puppy. According to Kevin, after the dispute, both Adam and Kayla blocked the family members on social media and cut off all contact with them.
A few months later, the COVID pandemic hit and Kevin admitted, quote, I just assumed Harmony and that side of the family was okay. I was worried, of course, but I assumed everything was okay because I hadn't heard anything, end quote. Meanwhile, concerned family members and police chief Allen Aldenberg remained hopeful that Harmony was still alive. Harmony's mother, Crystal, posted on Facebook, quote, Harmony, mommy's, coming for you. I promise, and I will never let you go.
Hang on, baby. During a press conference, chief Allenberg said, quote, I'm in rescue mode right now. This is not a recovery. All efforts are focused on that. Harmony is alive.
Until someone proves to me she is not, we have to operate under the assumption that she is alive. Help us find this little girl. Someone knows something. Do what is right and call in. I cannot emphasize this enough.
Someone out there knows something.
I cannot emphasize enough how important any and all tips are. Even if you believe you saw this little girl a year ago or two years ago, please call in. Knowing where she was. can help us narrow down where she is now. The Manchester Police Department is working with DCYF, as well as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, in every effort to locate Harmony.
That tip line again is 603-203-6060.
. And again, I can receive phone calls and text messages. Please share this information and utilize it. I'm appealing to everyone.
Help us find this little girl. Someone knows something. Do what is right and call in. I cannot emphasize that enough. Somebody out there knows something.
It's time for people to do the right thing. I cannot say it enough. I cannot emphasize it enough. Someone needs to call in, do the right thing, and provide us information on where Harmony may be. Again, that number is 603-203-6060..
203-6060.
. Help us find Harmony.
The tip line number has changed, so if you know anything about this case, the updated number is 603-932-8997.
On February 25, 2022, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu's office released an official report regarding information on Harmony Montgomery and also recommending new protections and system improvements for children stuck in a custody battle. Some of the recommendations included that the state of New Hampshire add new positions, maintain a low number of caseloads for each worker, and pass a border agreement which would allow neighboring states to easily communicate with each other in the event that the custody disputes cross state lines. In addition, it also stated that the DCYF policy be amended to confirm the residence of all children within a household, even if it's reported that one or all of the children have been moved. If a caregiver refuses to give information, or doesn't respond to the requests, the matter should be reported to law enforcement immediately to conduct a welfare check. Perhaps if these changes had been implemented before Harmony Montgomery went missing, the case wouldn't have fallen through the cracks of the system that had been created to help her in the first place.
In another surprising twist, on March 13, 2022, Adam's girlfriend, 27-year-old Kelsey Small, was found dead inside of a hotel room in Manchester. According to reports, her death was, quote, unexpected, but not considered suspicious. Although Kelsey was never a suspect in Harmony's disappearance, police questioned her alongside Adam in December of 2021.. She told investigators that Adam never spoke about Harmony specifically, and she did not know her current location. But during an interview with WMUR, Kelsey's cousin said, quote, I hate that one of her last connections here on Earth was with Adam.
End quote. Now, meanwhile, Adam's past continued to catch up with him, and on April 4, 2022, he was charged with eight more crimes for allegedly stealing a shotgun and rifle between the dates of September 29 and October 3, 2019.. He was officially charged with two counts of receiving stolen property, two charges of felon in possession, two charges of armed career criminal, and two counts of theft by unauthorized taking. A few days later, on April 12, 2022, Kayla Montgomery was also charged with two counts of receiving stolen property in connection to Adam's theft of that shotgun and rifle. Investigators noted that there was no connection between Harmony's disappearance and the stolen firearms.
Ultimately, Adam pleaded not guilty and was held at the Hillsborough County House of Corrections until his scheduled court date for June 28, 2022.
. Kayla Montgomery also remained in jail for her charges of theft by deception and misdemeanor welfare fraud.
While both Kayla and Adam sat in jail for their multiple crimes, on May 4, 2022, the Massachusetts Office of the Child Advocate released an official report that outlined several mistakes made regarding Harmony Montgomery's case. Shockingly, Harmony's disappearance wasn't known for two years, and the report indicated that one of the failures was the DCF not focusing on Adam Montgomery and placing most of their attention on Harmony's mother, Crystal. Additionally, the DCF also never completed a thorough assessment of Adam, and he was not held accountable for starting and completing the taste of his action plan. It further stated, there was no discussion on how Harmony could safely transition to Mr. Montgomery's care, given the limited time he had spent with her.
This lack of a focus on Harmony resulted in the miscalculation of the risks to Harmony when she was placed in Mr. Montgomery's custody, and there was no planning to ensure that the custody arrangement would be successful. Massachusetts Child Advocate Maria Mosaitis reported that a home study review was never conducted at Adam and Kayla's residence prior to placing Harmony with her father, and her specific needs, including medical, educational, and behavioral, were not a priority. It would later be discovered that while Harmony was in foster care at Michelle Raftery's house, she was being taken care of by a medical team and was actively going to school. However, after she was in the custody of her father, she was no longer enrolled in school, and there was no indication that he had taken her to a doctor.
Other pertinent things missed were questions about Adam's willingness and fitness to care for Harmony, including his career and income to support his daughter, and if the home he was living in was adequate to meet and fulfill her needs.
After the report was released, the DCF issued their own statement that read, Harmony Montgomery was last seen in New Hampshire in October of 2019, and the Department of Children and Family Services remains deeply concerned about her disappearance. The Office of Child Advocate report illustrates the grave responsibility of balancing the child's safety and best interest and a parent's legal right to have custody of their child. The safety of kids in DCFS care and servicing their needs should be the priority, not only of DCF, but of all participants in our child protection system. The department continues to make meaningful and lasting reforms to address these complex issues when a case comes before the court.
Crystal Sori's attorney, Russ Riley, also added, Despite the admitted failures by Massachusetts DCF, the ultimate responsibility for Harmony's disappearance clearly falls on New Hampshire DCYF for failing to remove Harmony from her father's care and custody after reports that he physically abused her, for which he has been arrested. New Hampshire DCYF also failed multiple times to ascertain Harmony's location and well-being, despite numerous concerns for her safety. The state of New Hampshire does not prioritize the safety of children in its care, and this report, along with that of New Hampshire Governor Sinunu and Attorney General Formella, proves that. The report recommended DCF take additional steps in the future that included both parents, be adequately addressed in custody cases involving young children and provide training, supervision, and support. It also added that the several organizations that determine a child's welfare, including the DCF, OCA, Juvenile Court, and the Committee for Public Counsel Services, work together in the future to make sure the needs of the children are properly met.
New Hampshire Governor Chris Sinunu stated in an interview with WMUR that the details are important to find out what happened to Harmony Montgomery. It added, I know they want to keep things confidential and sealed up, but at the end of the day, if we're going to bring Harmony home safe, we need to know what happened there. We need to know the hows and whys of those cases, not just on the DCF side, but on the court side as well.
On May 7, 2022, Kayla Montgomery was released from jail after serving four months for her crimes. The Manchester Police Department ordered her to check in with them daily regarding her substance abuse treatment plan. They also ordered her not to contact Adam Montgomery or leave the state of New Hampshire. On May 20th, Kayla arrived at the Hillsborough Superior Court to testify before a grand jury regarding the disappearance of Harmony. While under oath, Kayla recounted the timeline around the last time she saw Harmony and said that on November 30th, 2019, Adam drove her to a Dunkin Donuts in Goffstown for her 6 a.m.
to 2 p.
m. shift. According to her story, Harmony was also in the car and Adam told her that after he dropped her off, he was going to drop Harmony off with her mother in Massachusetts. And Kayla said that that was the last time she ever saw Harmony. But interestingly enough, after her statement to the grand jury, investigators went to work and what they found was shocking.
As it turns out, Kayla Montgomery was not working at any Dunkin Donuts locations in Goffstown on November 30th. So her story was a lie. They were able to obtain records from the New Hampshire Employment Security Office and it indicated that in November of 2019, Kayla had been fired from that position a week before she claimed to have worked that shift. Now, obviously, lying under oath is a serious offense and once this information was gathered, a warrant was issued for her arrest in early June of 2022.. On June 3rd, Kayla was arrested on perjury charges and she agreed to sit down with investigators for another interview with her attorney present, and it was here where she finally admitted that she had more information regarding Harmony's disappearance.
During the interview, Kayla said that they had been evicted from the house on Guilford Street the day before Thanksgiving, on November 27th, 2019.
. With nowhere to go, Adam, Kayla, Harmony and the couple's two young boys were forced to live in their car at Chrysler Sebring, and they parked the vehicle in the parking lot of Colonial Village on River Road, near their friend Anthony Bedero's apartment.
Kayla, why were you evicted from the home?
Because the mortgage wasn't getting paid.
And after you were evicted, where did you begin living?
What kind of vehicle was it?
When you began living in that car, who were you with?
Where were you sleeping during that period?
Where would you keep the car?
Why Colonial Village?
What was your friend's name?
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