Dad of girl missing for 2 years is arrested, NH cops say. FBI joins the search for her
Update Jan. 7, 2022: This article has been updated to include that Adam Montgomery’s wife was arrested Jan. 5, according to police.
Where is Harmony Montgomery? Police in New Hampshire only recently launched a search for the 7-year-old after finding out she has been missing for two years.
Now, police announced they’ve arrested Harmony’s dad on Jan. 4 as the FBI joined the search for her.
“The circumstances surrounding this prolonged absence are very concerning,” Manchester police first wrote on Twitter of the child’s disappearance on Dec. 31 after receiving a new report about her being missing. She hasn’t been seen since late 2019.
Adam Montgomery, 31, was arrested on a charge of second-degree felony assault related to his 2019 conduct againstHarmony, who was then 5 years old, police wrote Jan. 5 on Facebook.
“Although an arrest has been made, the search for Harmony continues,” authorities said.
Adam Montgomery is also charged with two misdemeanors for endangering the welfare of a child related to his daughter and one misdemeanor related to interference with custody, according to the news release.
“Help us find this little girl. Someone knows something, do what is right and call in,” Manchester Police Chief Allen Aldenberg urged at a news conference on Jan. 3. Aldenberg didn’t say who reported the girl as missing.
Harmony’s mom, Crystal Sorey, first reported her daughter missing in November and told Manchester police that her ex, Adam Montgomery, had custody over the girl, according to an affidavit. She said she hadn’t seen Harmony since Easter 2019 and told investigators “both she and Adam had past issues with substance abuse.”
Sorey said she made several unsuccessful attempts in 2021 to locate Adam Montgomery and her daughter, court documents said.
Manchester police began contacting Adam Montgomery’s family, and his brother, Michael Montgomery, “raised concern” for Harmony’s welfare and told investigators that his brother had been physically abusive toward his niece, according to the affidavit.
Police also spoke to Adam Montgomery’s uncle, Kevin Montgomery, who accused Adam of “forms of abusive discipline” and said that he had seen the girlwith a black eye, according to the affidavit.
“Adam explained [to his uncle] that he had left [Harmony], who would have been 5 years old at the time, in charge of watching her infant brother while Adam was in the bathroom,” when the baby started crying, according to the affidavit.
“Adam told Kevin that he returned and found [Harmony] holding her hand over the child’s mouth to stop him from crying. Adam told Kevin that he responded by striking [Harmony] in the face and causing the black eye.”
There is a $33,000 reward for information regarding Harmony’s disappearance, police and the FBI in Boston, Massachusetts said. Additionally there is a dedicated tip line that can be called or texted at 603-203-6060.
Harmony is described by police as being roughly 4 feet tall, 50 pounds and having blonde hair and blue eyes.She’s blind in her right eye and likely wearing glasses.
“We have to operate on the assumption that she is alive and well somewhere,” Aldenberg said, noting that she was last seen in October 2019 in Manchester.
Investigators found Adam Montgomery on Dec. 31 sleeping in a car with a new girlfriend in Manchester, the affidavit said.
He made “contradictory statements” about when he last saw his daughter, according to the affidavit. He first said he had seen her recently but then said he hadn’t seen her since November 2019.
Adam Montgomery was due to appear in court Jan. 5 virtually for an arraignment, according to the news release.
He “waived formal arraignment today and agreed to be held on preventative detention,” Jesse O’Neill, the assistant attorney general for the state’s Justice Department, told McClatchy News in a statement.
The same day, Manchester police arrested Harmony’s stepmother, Adam Montgomery’s wife, Kayla Montgomery, officials wrote on Facebook on Jan. 6.
“This charge alleges that between December 2019 and June 2021, Kayla Montgomery obtained over $1,500 in food stamp benefits by failing to remove Harmony Montgomery from Kayla’s family account with NH DHHS Division of Family Assistance and continuing to collect food stamp benefits for Harmony, despite the fact that Harmony was no longer living with Kayla and Kayla’s husband, Adam Montgomery,” police said.
Kayla Montgomery appeared in court on Jan. 6 and her bail was set at $5,000, WCVB5 reported.
This story was originally published January 5, 2022 at 10:43 AM with the headline "Dad of girl missing for 2 years is arrested, NH cops say. FBI joins the search for her."
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