Crime

Missing N.H. Girl Harmony Montgomery Disappeared After Dad, Stepmom Were Evicted from Home: Police

The New Hampshire girl, age 5 when she was last seen in 2019, was not reported missing for more than two years

Published on January 25, 2022 02:33 PM

Police have released a new timeline in the case of Harmony Montgomery, a New Hampshire girl last seen in 2019 but who was not reported missing for two years.

In a statement Monday obtained by PEOPLE, authorities say Harmony, then 5, appeared to be living with her dad, stepmom and the couple's two other children when they were evicted from a residence on Gilford Street in Manchester on Nov. 27, 2019.

Authorities say Harmony, then 5, appeared to be living with her dad, stepmom and the couple's two other children when they were evicted from a residence on Gilford Street in Manchester on Nov. 27, 2019, according to a statement obtained by PEOPLE.

"Multiple individuals" reported seeing the girl with her father, Adam Montgomery, and his wife, Kayla, in the days that followed. But between Dec. 6-10, 2019, the couple was seen only with their two common children — and not Harmony.

"This information leads police to believe that it was sometime during this window of approximately Nov. 28–Dec. 10, 2019, that Harmony Montgomery disappeared," said the statement released Monday by New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella.

During that same time, according to witnesses, Adam, Kayla, and the other two children were homeless and living out of cars — one a silver 2010 Chrysler Sebring, and the other a dark blue 2006 Audi S4 — possibly in Manchester's North End, authorities said.

Manchester police ask anyone who saw the vehicles or interacted with Adam, Kayla or the children during that window to call or text a 24-hour tip line dedicated to Harmony's rescue at 603-203-6060.

adam montogomery — Adam Montgomery. manchester NH police / facebook

In court Monday, Kayla Montgomery's attorney, Paul Garrity, asked for her release from jail to a drug rehab program following her arrest this month for one felony count of theft by deception and two misdemeanor counts of welfare fraud, reports FOX News.

Assistant Attorney General Jesse O'Neill objected to the request, saying Kayla Montgomery is a flight risk as investigators search for Harmony. "She knows what we are going to find as the investigation continues," O'Neill said, reports Manchester TV station WMUR.

The judge did not immediately rule or set bail.

Kayla Montgomery is accused of "engaging in a scheme or course of conduct" from around Nov. 30, 2019, to June 2, 2021, "to steal benefits in excess of $1,500 by representing to [New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services] on various occasions that [Harmony] was in Kayla's household despite Kayla admitting that [Harmony] was not a member of her household during that time period, resulting in the receipt of in excess of $1,500 in benefits for [Harmony] to which Kayla was not entitled," according to a probable cause statement obtained by PEOPLE.

She is also accused of making intentional false statements that Harmony was living in her home with her husband and their children in February and March 2021 in order to claim benefits. It was no clear if she had entered a plea to the charges.

The arrest of Kayla followed the arrest of Adam Montgomery on a charge of felony second-degree assault in connection with 2019 conduct against his daughter, said the attorney general's office. He also is charged with one misdemeanor charge of interference with custody, and two misdemeanor charges of endangering the welfare of a child pertaining to Harmony.

Adam Montgomery remains in jail, and an attorney who might speak on his behalf was not identified. It also was not clear whether he has entered a plea to the charges against him.

On Dec. 31, 2021, Manchester police posted a "missing" alert for Harmony, with a separate statement that read, "The circumstances surrounding this prolonged absence are very concerning and are being thoroughly investigated."

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The alert followed a call to police in November by Harmony's mother, Crystal Sorey, to report concerns about her daughter, who had been in Adam Montgomery's custody since February 2019, according to the Boston Globe.

Sorey — who lost custody of her daughter due to substance abuse issues, according to court records cited by the Globe — said she hadn't seen her daughter since April 2019, when the two participated in an Easter FaceTime call.

Afterward, Storey claimed, Adam Montgomery cut ties between Harmony and Sorey's family, prompting Sorey to begin calling police and child welfare services for help. Police and child services say they last saw the girl at her home in October 2019.

Police say the missing girl stands 4 feet tall and weighs 50 lbs. She is legally blind in her right eye and wears eyeglasses.