MANCHESTER, N.H. — An arrest has been made in connection with the case of missing 7-year-old New Hampshire girl, Harmony Montgomery, according to the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office.
Adam Montgomery, 31, of Manchester, was arrested Tuesday on a warrant for one felony charge of second-degree assault arising from 2019 conduct against Harmony Montgomery, as well as one misdemeanor charge of interference with custody, and two misdemeanor charges of endangering the welfare of a child pertaining to Harmony. He waived his right to a bail hearing and is being held without bail.
An affidavit filed in the case indicates Adam Montgomery was first questioned by police on New Year’s Eve.
Montgomery and his girlfriend were sleeping in a vehicle in Manchester, according to the affidavit.
Montgomery’s girlfriend indicated Montgomery was not in touch with his children from previous relationships. According to the affidavit, the girlfriend claimed Montgomery never talked about Harmony.
The affidavit also indicates Montgomery made “contradictory statements” during his interaction with police, which raised “suspicion and concern for Harmony’s well-being.”
The affidavit says Montgomery told officers that Harmony “was fine and he had seen her somewhat recently. However, as the conversation continued, Adam said that he had not seen Harmony” since 2019.
The affidavit also indicates that Montgomery’s estranged wife, who shares three other children with Adam Montgomery, had not seen Harmony since “November or December of 2019.”
That estranged wife told officers “she saw Harmony one morning prior to going to work. Adam said that he was driving Harmony back to Crystal Sorey, (Harmony’s biological mother) who was living in Lowell. MA at the time.”
The estranged wife said she believed the Harmony had been returned to Crystal.
The affidavit goes on to say that the the estranged wife “claimed she never saw or hear about Harmony after that day.”
The estranged wife told officers she had not seen Adam Montgomery since October, 2021 and claimed Adam was living in a sober house.
According to the affidavit, when officers finally spoke with Adam Montgomery in person on New Year’s Eve, with his current girlfriend, he eventually stopped answering questions, stating “I have nothing else to say.”
Officers say Adam Montgomery “did not exhibit emotion or reaction” to officers’ concern for whether Harmony was still alive.
Officers also revealed in the affidavit that relatives of Adam Montgomery say he hit Harmony in the past, giving her a black eye.
Adam’s brother spoke with officers on December 30, 2021. According to the affidavit the bother said “Adam was physically abusive toward Harmony” The bother recalled that “Adam was ‘super short’ with the child, and he learned through family members that Adam had given Harmony a black eye” in 2019.
According to the affidavit, an uncle of Adam Montgomery told officers he observed Harmony with a black eye in July, 2019.
The affidavit says the uncle told police “that Adam told him he had caused the injury to Harmony. Adam told (uncle) at the time, ‘I bashed her around this house.’”
The uncle also recalled, according to the affidavit, that Harmony was “forced to stand in the corner for hours, and Adam ordering Harmony to scrub the toilet with her toothbrush.”
The affidavit indicates the uncle alert DCYF with concern for the injury, after the fact.
The affidavit also shows that police first learned about Harmony’s case on November 18, 2021, when Harmony’s biological mother Crystal Sorey called police to say that her daughter was in the physical custody of Adam Montgomery, and that she had not seen her daughter since around Easter, 2019, saying she lost custody in 2018 due in part to a substance abuse problem. The affidavit indicates Crystal has regained sobriety and “unsuccessfully made attempts throughout 2021 to locate Adam and Harmony.”
25 Investigates has been digging into the circumstances surrounding how Harmony went from the custody of the Department of Children and Families in Massachusetts into the custody of her father in New Hampshire, a man with a lengthy criminal record in New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
[ 25 Investigates: Missing NH girl went from DCF custody to custody of father, with criminal record ]
Although an arrest has been made, the search for Harmony continues.
After Wednesday’s arraignment, New Hampshire Assistant Attorney General Jesse O’Neil said the focus remains on efforts to try to locate Harmony, last seen in 2019.
“The concern for Harmony is, we want her back,” O’Neill said. “We’re still viewing this as a rescue mission and not a recovery mission. She is out there somewhere.”
Timothy Flanagan spoke with Boston 25 on Tuesday. Flanagan is Harmony’s grandfather. He said his daughter is “sick” over the disappearance of his granddaughter, Harmony Montgomery, but he’s still holding out hope she’s alive.
[ Harmony Montgomery’s grandfather: ‘I have a lot of hope. I pray.’ ]
A reward for information in this case now stand at $43,000 according to Manchester Police.
Investigators are asking people call or text their dedicated tip line at 603-203-6060 if they have any information that could assist authorities in finding Harmony.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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