MANCHESTER, N.H. — New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu says he’s asked the Division of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) to conduct an interval review into the handling of the case surrounding Harmony Montgomery. Manchester Police announced on December 31st, Harmony, who would now be seven years old was last seen two years ago.
In a written statement, Sununu told 25 Investigates “Our top priority remains finding Harmony and we are turning over every stone we can to bring her home safe. From the beginning, the state has been as open and transparent as we are allowed to under the law. I have already instructed DCYF to begin an immediate review, and anytime there is a critical Incident involving a child, a cross-agency review is triggered and completed.”
That echoes a statement DCYF shared earlier this week. “The Department is continually reviewing its processes to ensure the best possible outcomes for children and families. The Division for Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) has conducted a preliminary internal review on this case, and as is the case whenever a critical incident involving a child occurs, a comprehensive quality assurance review is completed. While we are bound by law to protect the confidentiality of families involved with DCYF and are unable to comment on specific cases, our primary focus is locating Harmony, and the Department is supporting local law enforcement as they continue with their investigation.”
25 Investigates has documented police and DCYF were at the home where Harmony was last seen in 2019 multiple times.
25 Investigates asked the New Hampshire Office of the Child Advocate if they were concerned about the nature of the visits with DCYF and what follow up happened subsequent to those visits.
“So again I cannot comment on this case. I can tell you generally if there’s something that’s happened to a child that’s been reported to us, we would look at the history of DCYF involvement with the family, what they were there for, what they did and whether or not they met the standard and the legal obligation of the agency there,” said Moira O’Neill, director of the office. O’Neill said, as is standard in a case like Harmony’s, her office does have a preliminary review underway.
On Thursday, O’Neill confirmed the New Hampshire Office of the Child Advocate has not been asked to do an full system review at this point.
25 Investigates asked Governor Sununu’s office whether they will seek an independent review. We are still awaiting a response.
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