The frantic search for Harmony Montgomery, a 7-year-old girl who was reported missing just weeks ago after last being seen in 2019, has narrowed to a crucial two-week period when authorities say she was homeless and living out of cars with family members.
Meanwhile, the child’s biological mother is convinced that Harmony’s stepmother knows more than she has told the police.
The New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office on Monday announced investigators believe Harmony was last seen between Nov. 28 and Dec. 10, 2019, after her family was evicted from their home in Manchester, New Hampshire. At the time, investigators said, Harmony was living with her father, Adam Montgomery, and his wife and her stepmother, Kayla, and their two children.
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“Witnesses have reported that during that time, Adam, Kayla, and the children were homeless and living out of cars, possibly in the North End of Manchester,” the attorney general’s office said in a press release. “One of the cars was a silver 2010 Chrysler Sebring, and the other was a dark blue 2006 Audi S4.”
Days later, the Montgomerys were seen by the same witnesses with their two children—and without Harmony, prosecutors said. Investigators had previously indicated that Harmony was last seen in Oct. 2019, after Manchester police were called to her home.
The updated timeline is crucial, Harmony’s biological mother told The Daily Beast, because, she said, it pokes holes in information previously given to police by Adam and Kayla Montgomery. While authorities have yet to arrest anyone in connection with Harmony’s disappearance, Adam is facing charges for allegedly abusing her, and Kayla is accused of using her for food stamp benefits even though she was not living with the child.
Both have pleaded not guilty, and calls to their attorneys were not immediately returned on Monday.
“I wasn’t told at all that Harmony could’ve been staying in the car with them, so that’s new information to me,” Crystal Sorey, Montgomery’s mother, told The Daily Beast Monday. “I strongly believe that the new timeline is more accurate. Multiple people reached out to me as well, saying they saw my daughter at the Fit Shelter on Lake Ave in early Dec. 2019, and I made sure they reached out to police to give all information small or large.”
In Adam Montgomery’s arrest affidavit, which outlines a series of disturbing abuse allegations against the father, investigators noted that Kayla said in Dec. 2021 that the last time she physically saw Harmony was in November or December 2019 before heading into work. At that time, Adam Montgomery allegedly told his wife “he was driving [Harmony] back to Crystal,” who was living in Massachusetts.
“Kayla claimed she never saw, or heard about [Harmony] after that day,” the affidavit states, noting she said she had not seen her husband since Oct. 2021. “Kayla admitted that she had seen [Harmony] with a black eye in the past; however, she explained that Adam told her it was caused by one of their other children striking [Harmony] with a toy.”
Adam Montgomery also told police he last saw his daughter around the same time, and that he had driven Harmony to Massachusetts to live with Sorey. Shortly after Kayla and Adam’s separate Dec. 31, 2021, conversations with authorities, a “missing child” alert was issued and police launched an investigation to find the girl, who may be wearing glasses and is blind in her right eye. The probe has since garnered national attention, FBI assistance, and a reward of over $100,000.
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“Manchester Police continue to request that anyone with information please call or text the 24-hour tip line… in particular anyone who saw or interacted with Adam Montgomery, Kayla Montgomery, or the children during the time frame of approximately November 28–December 10, 2019, or who saw either of the vehicles in question during that time,” the press release added. “Any information, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem, may contribute to the overall investigation.”
Investigators have said that Sorey last saw her daughter via Facetime in April 2019—before Adam Montgomery allegedly blocked all contact.
Sorey also noted that prosecutors revealed during Kayla’s bond hearing on Monday that investigators have evidence and witness testimony that contradicts timelines of the girl’s disappearance offered by Adam and his wife. The developments on Monday have led Sorey to believe Kayla “lied to police,” she told The Daily Beast.
A New Hampshire judge on Monday ruled that Kayla’s bail remain at $5,000 in connection with several charges, including a count of felony welfare fraud. The judge decided that after Kayla completes a substance abuse program, her bond will change to personal recognizance with stipulations.
During the hearing, Assistant Attorney General Jesse O’Neill said the conflicting information, and the possibility that Kayla was a flight risk given that Harmony was still missing, were grounds for her to be remanded without bail. O’Neill also noted that there is no evidence that Harmony was with Sorey after or during 2019.
Sorey added that she remains hopeful in the investigation to find her daughter—and that she remains focused on Harmony.
“All I have right now is hope that she will be found and brought home, where she is so very loved and missed by many,” Sorey added. “The police are very serious about finding Harmony.”
