Kayla Montgomery was arrested one day after she failed to appear for court hearing

MANCHESTER, NH — The stepmother of long-missing New Hampshire girl Harmony Montgomery, who is considered to be dead, was arrested Friday afternoon after missing a court date on Thursday, prosecutors said.

Kayla Montgomery, 32, was found at a residence in Manchester on Friday afternoon and is being held “pursuant to the warrant issued Thursday by the Superior Court.”

Montgomery was supposed to attend a dispositional conference related to charges of welfare fraud and theft by deception, but she never showed up to the courthouse, according to the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office.

She was required to be in court.

In a press release, the state Department of Justice Spokesperson said that the charges and allegations against Montgomery are accusations and that she is “presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.”

This latest incident was one of many legal troubles for Montgomery who was previously arrested on perjury charges in June.

In August, Attorney General John M. Formella and Manchester Police Chief Allen D. Aldenberg announced that the search for Harmony had shifted to a homicide investigation.

Multiple sources of investigative information and new biological evidence led investigators to conclude that Harmony was murdered in early December of 2019, according to Formella and Aldenberg.

Harmony’s remains have not yet been located.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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