Harmony Montgomery (7) last seen in October 2019, not reported missing until 12/31/2021

[raisedbywolves]

https://www.wmur.com/article/harmony...2021/38646788#

Manchester police are seeking tips from the public about the disappearance of a girl not seen in more than two years.

Harmony Montgomery, 7, was last seen in a home in Manchester in October 2019, when she was 5, police said.
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Police said they first learned Harmony went missing earlier this week. Chief Allen Aldenberg did not specify who reported the girl missing but said his department has been in touch with multiple family members and will continue to speak with them.

Aldenberg said police are not searching for any adult or vehicle in connection with the case. Investigators are focusing on the whereabouts of Harmony.

"No time is a good time for a child to go missing," Aldenberg said. "I'm begging the community. I don't care if you saw this young girl a year ago and you think it's irrelevant. Call us."

Aldenberg said at a news conference Friday his detectives are working to confirm where Harmony is from and where she went to school before her disappearance.

Harmony is estimated to be approximately 4 feet tall and 50 pounds. Investigators said she has blonde hair, blue eyes and should be wearing glasses.

"We need help," Aldenberg said. "This remains a very active investigation."

"We need to find this little girl," he added.

If you have information about Harmony, you can call Manchester police at 603-668-8711 or Detective Jack Dunleavy at 603-792-5561. You can also remain anonymous and call the Manchester Crimeline at 603-624-4040.

[Daisychain]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/missin...-saw-her-alive

Uncle of Missing Girl Says Family Feuded the Last Time He Saw Her Alive


The last time that Kevin Montgomery says he saw his great niece, Harmony, she ?looked like a scared puppy.?

The terrified look on the then-5-year-old?s face appeared during a contentious situation at the Manchester, New Hampshire house Montgomery shared with several family members, including Harmony and her parents. The October 2019 incident, which Montgomery said included him trying to push through the front door when he wasn?t allowed in, resulted in a call to the police and a divide in the family.

Montgomery says the incident prompted his nephew, Harmony?s father, to stop all communication with a slew of other family members, including blocking some of them on social media.

?Then the pandemic hit, and I just assumed Harmony and that side of the family was ok. I was worried, of course, but assumed everything was ok because I had not heard anything,? Montgomery, 43, told The Daily Beast on Monday.

But New Hampshire authorities say that Harmony hasn?t been seen since October 2019?and was only reported missing last week. On Dec. 31, the Manchester Police Department put out a ?missing child? alert after learning of her years-long disappearance, and launched an investigation to find the 4-foot-tall girl who should be wearing glasses and is blind in her right eye.

The Manchester Mayor?s chief of staff Lauren Smith told The Daily Beast that the office received an email last week ?primarily regarding concerns with the New Hampshire Division for Children, Youth and Families (DCYF)? in connection to Harmony. The email, which Smith admitted ?was slightly vague on details,? was ultimately forwarded to the Manchester Police Department.

?For us to have a two-year delay, that is extremely concerning," Police Chief Allen Aldenberg said on Friday while announcing an investigation into Harmony?s disappearance. ?That's not something that happens to us on a regular basis. It doesn't happen every day.?

Since the New Year?s Eve missing child alert, Aldenberg said that his department has been working ?non-stop? to find Harmony alongside DCYF and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. On Sunday, investigators also searched a property on Gilford Street that once belonged to a member of the Montgomery family. City assessor records indicate the home was sold in 2020.

By Monday, authorities announced a combined $12,500 reward for information about Harmony?s whereabouts, as well as a 24-hour tip line for the case that is still being investigated as a missing person?s case.

?I am in rescue mode right now. This is not a recovery. All efforts are focused on that Harmony is alive?until somebody points to me that proves that she is not. We have to operate under the assumption that she is alive,? Aldenberg said during an impassioned speech during a press conference. ?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."

The chief, who said that 35 investigators are on the case, added Monday that ?many? of Harmony?s family members have also been interviewed in an attempt to fill in the blanks as to what happened over the last two years. Aldenberg declined to comment on details of those conversations but noted that nobody has been officially cleared in the investigation.

Harmony?s mother, Crys Renee Sorey, also took to Facebook to plead for information to help solve the mysterious case. Another woman, who identified herself as Harmony's older cousin, wrote on social media that the 7-year-old was ?known to be in the custody of her father.?

?HARMONY MOMMYS COMING FOR YOU I PROMISE & I WILL NEVER LET YOU GO!!!! HANG ON BABY!!!!? Sorey wrote in her post alongside photos of the blond-haired girl.

Police have not released any information about Harmony?s parents, and have not confirmed the claim that Harmony had been in her father's custody. Montgomery, however, told The Daily Beast that Sorey met with authorities today for a ?polygraph and DNA test.? Sorey did not respond to a request for comment.

Harmony?s great uncle admits he has accepted the grim reality that he may ?never see her alive again,? and says he had been worried about the child?s safety for years.

Montgomery told The Daily Beast that he called DCYF on Harmony?s behalf in July 2019 after he saw that she had a black eye?but, he says, nothing happened. Three months later, on Oct. 19, 2019, he says he called the police to the house where his nephew, Harmony?s father, and other family members lived.

During that ?intense? and chaotic situation?the last time, he says, that he saw his great niece?Harmony ?was quiet, she wasn?t saying much.?

?She looked scared,? Montgomery added.

The Manchester Police Department declined The Daily Beast?s request for comment but Aldenberg has previously said Harmony was last seen at a home in the city after police responded to an October 2019 service call. A spokesperson for DHHS declined to comment on Montgomery?s claim that he had flagged the child?s case for the agency, stating that ?state and federal law requires us to protect the confidentiality of children and families served by and individuals engaged with the Division for Children, Youth and Families.?

Several neighbors also told WMUR they had previously complained to city officials about the conditions of the house Harmony was last seen in. At the time, however, they were told nothing could be done.

?I thought she was a nice, quiet little girl,? one neighbor told the outlet. ?It's kind of sad because no kid deserves that. Nobody does.?

Aldenberg on Monday declined to go into details into the investigation, but previously noted that the last time Harmony was enrolled in school was in Massachusetts. He added that the case is a priority for the department and they are ?doing everything in their power? to figure out the timeline of Harmony?s last two years.

?I cannot emphasize enough how important any and all tips are,? the chief added. ?Knowing where she was can help us narrow down where she is now.?

And while Montgomery says he doesn?t know what happened to Harmony, or who ultimately called the police to report her missing, he believes the mystery behind his great-niece?s disappearance could have been avoided if authorities had taken his pleas seriously.

?We just want to know the truth,? Montgomery added. ?We have been in contact with the Manchester Police Department and we will do whatever it takes to get answers.?

[Boston Babe 73]

I don't understand having these departments in place when they don't even do their job. She had been reported to child services because of a black eye and the condition of the house had been reported as well.

IF THEY HAD ACTUALLY GOTTEN OFF THEIR ASSES AND DONE THEIR FUCKING JOB.. .

This girl wouldn't likely not be missing (dead) right now.

[raisedbywolves]

I don't understand having these departments in place when they don't even do their job. She had been reported to child services because of a black eye and the condition of the house had been reported as well.

IF THEY HAD ACTUALLY GOTTEN OFF THEIR ASSES AND DONE THEIR FUCKING JOB.. .

This girl wouldn't likely not be missing (dead) right now.

And this kind of story used to happen every once in a while, but now we are seeing it every week.

[Boston Babe 73]

And this kind of story used to happen every once in a while, but now we are seeing it every week.

Because of the pandemic, it's made it easier to hide abuse

[raisedbywolves]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/adam-m...-just-arrested

Father of Missing 7-Year-Old Harmony Montgomery Arrested

The father of Harmony Montgomery, a 7-year-old who was reported missing two years after she was last seen in New Hampshire, has been arrested in the latest twist in the investigation.

Adam Montgomery, 31, was booked Tuesday evening on an array of charges, including felony second-degree assault in connection with 2019 conduct against his daughter, Harmony, the New Hampshire Attorney General?s Office said. Prosecutors have also charged Montgomery with one misdemeanor charge of interference with custody, and two misdemeanor charges of endangering the welfare of a child pertaining to Harmony.

Adam Montgomery was set to be arraigned on Wednesday morning.

Despite the apparent break in an investigation that has garnered nationwide attention, authorities on Wednesday did not go into details about what 2019 conduct prompted the charges. It was also not clear if any of the charges directly pertained to the disappearance of the child. Police have said, however, that Harmony, then 5 years old, was last seen at a Manchester home after officers answered a service call in Oct. 2019.

As previously reported by The Daily Beast, Harmony?s great uncle, Kevin Montgomery, said he last saw her that month after a contentious situation at the home he once shared with several family members, including the child and her parents.

During the altercation between family members, Montgomery said that Harmony ?looked like a scared puppy.? Harmony ?was quiet, she wasn?t saying much,? her great uncle added.

When reached early Wednesday for comment about his nephew Adam Montgomery?s arrest, Kevin Montgomery asked for the charges to be read aloud, stating he ?just found out right now about the news? and that the suspect?s father?who did not comment?was in the room with him.

?My only concern is Harmony, and from here on out this is the only thing I want to comment about. We just want the courts to do their thing, and we are focused on Harmony,? Kevin Montgomery said.

On Dec. 31, 2021, authorities issued a ?missing child? alert after learning of her years-long disappearance and launched an investigation to find the girl, who may be wearing glasses and is blind in her right eye. Manchester Police Chief Allen Aldenberg insisted on Monday the case is still being investigated as a missing persons case and that they have interviewed several members of the family to fill in the blanks as to what happened over the last two years.

?I am in rescue mode right now. This is not a recovery. All efforts are focused on that Harmony is alive? until somebody points to me that proves that she is not. We have to operate under the assumption that she is alive,? Aldenberg said. ?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.?

In the days since launching the case, police have searched the home Montgomery once lived in with her family, launched a 24-hour tip-line, acquired assistance from the FBI, and announced a $33,000 reward for information about Harmony?s whereabouts.

?In keeping with standard protocol, we are assisting the Manchester Police Department with their investigation into the suspicious disappearance of Harmony Montgomery,? an FBI spokesperson told The Daily Beast on Tuesday, noting that Manchester PD is still leading the probe. ?We urge anyone with information about Harmony?s current whereabouts to contact law enforcement.?

[raisedbywolves]

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/...fraud-82110233

Stepmother of missing Harmony Montgomery charged with fraud

The stepmother of a girl who disappeared in 2019 at age 5 has been charged with welfare fraud for collecting food stamps in her name, the New Hampshire attorney general’s office said Thursday.

Kayla Montgomery, 31, of Manchester, has been charged one with one count of welfare fraud on suspicion of obtaining $1,500 in food stamps from December 2019 to June 2021 for Harmony Montgomery, even though the girl was not living with Kayla and her husband, Adam Montgomery.

Kayla Montgomery pleaded not guilty in Hillsborough County Superior Court. Her lawyer asked that she be released on her own recognizance. The judge agreed to a prosecutor’s request for $5,000 bail, ruling that Montgomery, who has a misdemeanor criminal record, must check in daily in person with Manchester police.

Adam Montgomery, 31, was charged Wednesday with several counts, including failing to have Harmony in his custody. His lawyer entered not guilty pleas on his behalf. He has been jailed without bail.

[Nic B]

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/...fraud-82110233

Stepmother of missing Harmony Montgomery charged with fraud

That's so fucked up.

[raisedbywolves]

https://www.wcax.com/2022/01/24/nh-m...13-day-window/

NH missing girl’s disappearance narrowed to 13-day window; stepmother appears in court

The stepmom of a missing New Hampshire appeared before a judge on Monday as the search for the little girl continues.

Now, investigators have narrowed the window of the disappearance of Harmony Montgomery to a 13-day period. They now say Harmony, who was just 5 at the time, went missing sometime between Nov. 29-Dec. 10, 2019. She was only recently reported missing.

Prosecutors say the child’s stepmother, Kayla Montgomery, continued to accept food stamp benefits for Harmony for over a year after the little girl was last seen. Kayla Montgomery is charged with several counts, including fraud, but she has not been charged directly in connection with the disappearance.

In court Monday, prosecutors argued she should be held on bail.

“We think that she poses a flight risk which is why we made the bail request that we did. The Manchester Police Department is pursuing all avenues in this investigation, talking to everybody that they possibly can,” New Hampshire Assistant Attorney General Jesse O’Neill said.

The judge released Kayla Montgomery on personal recognizance bail upon completion of a drug treatment program.

Harmony’s father, Adam Montgomery, has been charged with assaulting the little girl but he has not been charged directly with her disappearance. He remains behind bars.

Prosecutors say the family was homeless at the time of Harmony’s disappearance. They were living out of a car in the Manchester area.

[KimTisha]

Do you think they could have sold that little girl?

[Nic B]

Do you think they could have sold that little girl?

Nah, they killed her.

[raisedbywolves]

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...rien-rcna21401

Missing New Hampshire 7-year-old Harmony Montgomery's father's girlfriend found dead

The girlfriend of Harmony Montgomery's father was found dead in New Hampshire, police said.

Kelsey Small died on March 13 in Manchester, a police spokesperson said without releasing additional details. A cause of death is pending but it is not considered suspicious.

Small was the girlfriend of Adam Montgomery, the father of the little girl police have been searching for since learning of her disappearance late last year. Harmony, 7, was last seen in 2019.

Manchester police said the girl's disappearance is "very concerning" and that it is "being thoroughly investigated." Police are operating under the assumption that Harmony is alive.

Small was not connected to the disappearance but did speak to police about Harmony in December. According to an affidavit, officers found Small and Adam Montgomery sleeping in their car in Manchester.

Small told investigators that she had been in a relationship with Adam Montgomery for over a year, and said that he had not had any communication with his children. Small said that Adam Montgomery had never talked about Harmony and she did not know where the girl could be, the affidavit states.Adam Montgomery was arrested earlier this year along with Harmony's stepmother, Kayla Montgomery. Adam Montgomery was charged with felony second-degree assault, interference with custody and two misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

[raisedbywolves]

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...repo-rcna27152

Missing 7-year-old girl's safety and well-being 'were not prioritized,' report finds

A Massachusetts government agency that advocates for child safety said it found several flaws in the handling of a missing 7-year-old girl's legal case and that her safety was not made a priority.

The Massachusetts Office of the Child Advocate released a report Wednesday concerning Harmony Montgomery, a New Hampshire girl who hasn't been seen since 2019. Police were not made aware of her disappearance until late last year.

"The central and most important finding in this investigation and report is that Harmony’s individual needs, wellbeing, 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,” Maria Mossaides, the office's director, said in a statement.

Harmony was born in Massachusetts and was in the care of that state's Department of Children and Families from 2014 until February 2019 when her father, who lived in New Hampshire, was awarded custody.

The Manchester Police Department in New Hampshire has said that Harmony has not been seen since late 2019. The girl's father, Adam Montgomery, and stepmother, Kayla Montgomery, were arrested earlier this year.

Harmony's mother, Crystal Sorey, has not been arrested.

The Office of the Child Advocate said in its report the state’s Department of Children and Families focused its attention on helping Sorey with substance abuse and mental health issues and assisting Adam Montgomery, who was in and out of his daughter's life. Because of this, according to the report, Harmony's "need for safety and stability did not receive the necessary attention.”

"When children are not at the center of every aspect of the child protection system, then the system cannot truly protect them," Mossaides said.

Police have said that the circumstances surrounding Harmony's disappearance are "very concerning." They did not comment on the report.

Adam Montgomery was charged with felony second-degree assault, interference with custody and two misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

[Bewitchingstorm]

It is sickening how many children are not prioritized and are failed by the systems that are in place to keep them safe.

[Angiebla]

She should have stayed in foster care, and never ever gone back to the dad. I know of a little girl who is in foster care with a good family and im worried this is going to happen to her. Same damn situation.

[Boston Babe 73]

She should have stayed in foster care, and never ever gone back to the dad. I know of a little girl who is in foster care with a good family and im worried this is going to happen to her. Same damn situation.

I'm not going to sit here and claim that every foster situation is a good one. Sadly, that's not the case. However, with these services they focus much more on parental rights rather than the rights and safety of the children. Thus why people with restraining orders are still allowed visitation (which to me is stupidly insane). The fact of the matter is that if these departments actually DID THEIR FUCKING JOB, they would be ensuring that the children were safe whether that be in the custody of their parents OR in foster care.

I'm not saying that it's an easy job, by any means, but if you signed up for it.... DO IT RIGHT.

[Angiebla]

I'm not going to sit here and claim that every foster situation is a good one. Sadly, that's not the case. However, with these services they focus much more on parental rights rather than the rights and safety of the children. Thus why people with restraining orders are still allowed visitation (which to me is stupidly insane). The fact of the matter is that if these departments actually DID THEIR FUCKING JOB, they would be ensuring that the children were safe whether that be in the custody of their parents OR in foster care.

I'm not saying that it's an easy job, by any means, but if you signed up for it.... DO IT RIGHT.

Sadly the foster care place my good friend has a little girl from is focused on reunification of the parents with the child. The main caseworker knows the parents are garbage and is putting the girls safety first...but for how long...Im not sure. Mom has completed rehab and is clean and supposedly mentally healthy, but the judge signed a continuance and the little girl is staying with my friend for the next 6 months. The judge has 1 more continuance then has to make a decision.

The dad doesnt do drugs but is violent as hell and SPANKED the little girl when she was 2 months old, because she was crying. But the bio mom wont tell the caseworker that. Hes dangerous, has a short record even though he beat the bio mom almost to death (bc she didnt press charges). The are actually considering giving the little girl to him bc hes clean, has a job and transportation. The bar is that low. ugh.

[raisedbywolves]

Sadly the foster care place my good friend has a little girl from is focused on reunification of the parents with the child. The main caseworker knows the parents are garbage and is putting the girls safety first...but for how long...Im not sure. Mom has completed rehab and is clean and supposedly mentally healthy, but the judge signed a continuance and the little girl is staying with my friend for the next 6 months. The judge has 1 more continuance then has to make a decision.

The dad doesnt do drugs but is violent as hell and SPANKED the little girl when she was 2 months old, because she was crying. But the bio mom wont tell the caseworker that. Hes dangerous, has a short record even though he beat the bio mom almost to death (bc she didnt press charges). The are actually considering giving the little girl to him bc hes clean, has a job and transportation. The bar is that low. ugh.

I don't understand what the push to reunite foster children with terrible bio families is. I think this is why we so so many kids get harmed. I'm sorry that the child's well being isn't what is being considered.

[Boston Babe 73]

I don't understand what the push to reunite foster children with terrible bio families is. I think this is why we so so many kids get harmed. I'm sorry that the child's well being isn't what is being considered.

Exactly this. Like I said. They focus more on the parental rights than the rights and the safety of the kids. It's backwards.

[puzzld]

I don't understand what the push to reunite foster children with terrible bio families is. I think this is why we so so many kids get harmed. I'm sorry that the child's well being isn't what is being considered.

It's the pendulum. Not terribly long ago (early to mid 20th century) if the authorities became aware of a poor family, a family of color, or otherwise that messed up in some way, even if just by being poor... they'd snatch those children up and place them in a home. People both "official" and independent would coerce young single women to turn over their kids, "for their own good". If a woman got in trouble with the law, her kids were as good as gone and there was no way she was getting them back. And doG forbid you commit the crime of parenting while native. Your kids would be packed off to a school to be de-natived and might well be adopted away from you. So in response to some of the egregious crimes against parents and children, laws were written, protections put in place, yada yada and now the family of origin is so important that kids don't get protected when they should be. Now before the "child protection" situation got so extreme in the early/mid 20th century it was just the opposite. Parents, especially Fathers, owned their kids and were welcome to beat them bloody if they liked.