It’s been three years since Harmony Montgomery, the 5-year-old from New Hampshire, went missing in December 2019. Since her disappearance, Harmony’s father and stepmother, Kayla, were arrested in October 2022.
Father of Harmony Montgomery Charged With Her Murder
As Mamas Uncut previously reported, Kayla had been arrested for welfare fraud after it was discovered that Kayla had collected over $1,500 in food stamps meant to benefit Harmony. Prosecutors say Kayla never removed Harmony from her family’s account with the state’s Division of Family Assistance and went on to receive benefits between December 2019 and June 2021.
Harmony’s father, 32-year-old Adam Montgomery, was initially charged with felony second-degree assault, interference with custody, and two charges of endangering the welfare of a child. Since then, more charges have been brought to the table.
Harmony’s father has now been arrested and charged with the 5-year-old’s murder. Although Harmony’s body was never found, police allege Adam Montgomery beat Harmony to death “on or about December 7, 2019” by repeatedly “striking Harmony Montgomery in the head with a closed fist,” the Boston Globe reported.
Now, newly unsealed court documents are revealing what investigators believed happened to Harmony. Warning, the information provided in these documents contain truly gruesome and horrific accusations.
According to the documents, Adam Montgomery is accused of carrying Harmony’s body around “in a red Under Armour duffel bag, tied up in trash bags,” all around Manchester, New Hampshire. The documents, obtained by People, say that “authorities believe he first placed Harmony’s body in a cooler and placed the cooler over a vent in a shelter he shared with his wife and two sons.”
Authorities then claim Adam “put Harmony’s body into a closet when neighbors complained of the smell, and then snuck her into his workplace freezer.” It wasn’t until March 2020 that Adam rented a U-haul to transport Harmony’s body to a final, still unknown, location. Authorities say that prior to Harmony’s death, she lived a life that was plagued with “drug-riddled child abuse.”
The documents continued to say that police believe Adam became “frustrated” with Harmony after she had “bathroom accidents in the car where he, Kayla Montgomery, and their two younger sons were living.” While questioning her stepmother, Kayla, she told police “that after each accident, Adam would get upset and would strike Harmony in the face/ head with a closed fist.”
On the day authorities believe Harmony was killed, December 9, 2019, police allege that while driving to a local Burger King, Adam turned around and landed “sets of three-to-four blows with a closed fist to Harmony’s face and head on three separate occasions over the course of a few minutes.”
“I think I really hurt her this time. I think I did something,” Kayla Montgomery later told the police Adam said after hitting Harmony for the final time. They never sought medical attention for Harmony. Kayla said she witnessed Adam grab the red duffle bag from their trunk about put their daughter’s lifeless body inside of it.
Sadly, a search for Harmony didn’t begin in 2021 when her biological mother filed a missing persons report on her behalf. According to People, Harmony’s biological mother lost custody of her due to drug use.
Crystal Sorey told police that she had not seen her daughter since a FaceTime call she received on Easter 2019. She also told police that she believed “her daughter seemed scared of her father” during that call.
New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella further explained that in addition to the second-degree murder charge, Adam has also been charged with “falsifying physical evidence, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with witnesses or informants in connection with Harmony’s death.”
It remains unclear what led prosecutors to bring these new charges against Adam.
“Today, I do want to again express my deepest sympathies to Harmony’s family, friends, and loved ones,” Formella said in his statement. “We understand that today’s news, while significant for purposes of this investigation, is yet another difficult moment for those who loved Harmony and those who have followed this case.”
On October 25, a spokesperson for the New Hampshire judiciary told the Boston Globe that Adam’s legal team filed waivers of arraignment. “Neither Montgomery nor counsel in the case will be present in court. Authorities are still asking anyone with knowledge of Harmony’s disappearance and alleged murder to come forward as the search for her body continues.
Mamas Uncut is THE online place for moms. We cover the latest about motherhood, parenting, and entertainment as well – all with a mom-focused twist. So if you're looking for parenting advice from real parents, we have plenty of it, all for moms from moms, and also experts. Because, at the end of the day, our mission is focused solely on empowering moms and moms-to-be with the knowledge and answers they’re looking for in one safe space.