HARMONY MONTGOMERY

Harmony Montgomery Timeline

June 7, 2014 – Harmony Renee Montgomery was born to 24-year-old Crystal Sorey and 25-year-old Adam Montgomery, who was incarcerated at the time. From birth, Harmony faced severe medical challenges. She was diagnosed with a rare brain condition known as holoprosencephaly (HPE) and doctors informed Crystal that her daughter was completely blind and unlikely to live beyond her first year. This grim prognosis marked the beginning of Harmony’s difficult journey.

June 7, 2014: Harmony Renee Montgomery

Harmony Montgomery

Harmony Rene Montgomery – Parents

Timeline

January 22, 1990

  • Adam Montgomery was born to Melissa E. Newhall (dob 4/17/74) and Michael Montgomery Sr. Melisa was 16 when Adam was born .

November 11, 1998

  • Paternity Test determined Adam is a biological child to Michael Montgomery Sr. Adam was placed with the Montgomery family.

2004

  • Michael Montgomery moved to Florida

October 20, 2004

  • Adam was involved in a traffic incident and charged with Leaving the Scene of an Accident.

November 9, 2004

  • Adam failed to appear in court.

November 18, 2004

  • A Juvenile Custodial Warrant was issued for Adam Montgomery.

February 2, 2005

  • Adam pleaded not guilty in court.

April 27, 2005

  • Adam again failed to appear in court and was subsequently arrested.

July 11, 2005

  • He was ordered to complete 50 hours of community service within five months, assessed fines and court fees, and placed on probation concurrent with case 041643DAZANC.

2006 (Age 16)

  • While living on Donald Street in Bedford, New Hampshire, Adam Montgomery reportedly brought a weapon to a school in Manchester, where Bedford students were attending high school at the time (Queen City). He was charged with felony possession of a dangerous weapon on school grounds.

September 7, 2007

  • Adam Montgomery was charged with criminal threatening in Bedford, New Hampshire. He allegedly pulled a knife on a former girlfriend, who was 15 years old at the time. The incident occurred while Adam was still a minor (approximately 17 years old), and it marked another early instance of violent behavior in his adolescent history.

February 10, 2008

  • Adam Montgomery was reportedly a suspect in the shooting death of Darlin Guzman in Lynn, Massachusetts. Guzman was gunned down outside a convenience store around 11:00 PM and later pronounced dead at the hospital, having sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Adam was linked as a suspect in the case during the early stages of the investigation, though no charges were formally brought against him at that time.

March 2008

  • Adam Montgomery was arrested after he stabbed a teenage boy in the leg and then pushed him out of a moving vehicle in Manchester, New Hampshire. He was charged with: First-degree assault (felony) Reckless conduct (felony) According to a Manchester police prosecutor, the event was related to a drug dispute, in which Adam believed he had been sold fake drugs. The prosecutor described it as “a drug ripoff, of sorts,” warning that the presence of weapons and narcotics created “a recipe for disaster.” Adam Montgomery was released on $25,000 cash bail and reportedly told the court that he had no issue staying away from the victim.

January 2009

  • Adam Montgomery was sentenced to 383 days in jail following the resolution of multiple prior charges.

June 26, 2011

  • Crystal Sorey was arrested in Pennsylvania for: Purchase, consumption, possession, or transportation of alcoholic beverages by a minor (Statute commonly cited as “Purch Etc Alcoh Bev By A Minor”).

July 20, 2011

  • Crystal was arrested twice in York, Pennsylvania on the following charges: Theft by Unlawful Taking – Movable Property Receiving Stolen Property.  Arrest


August 25, 2012:

  • Crystal Sorey and Adam Montgomery began  dating.

October 2013

  • Crystal Sorey became pregnant with Harmony Montgomery

January 14, 2014

  • Adam Montgomery traveled to the Acre neighborhood of Haverhill, Massachusetts, intending to buy drugs. During the incident, Adam shot Robert Jacobs in the head. In response, Jacobs’ brother, Cameron Vitalone (22), shot Adam in the arm.
  • Crystal Sorey, then three months pregnant with Harmony Montgomery, was present during the commission of the crime.

A surveillance camera in the area captured both audio and video of the shooting. The footage and investigation implicated multiple individuals, including:

  • Adam Montgomery (shooter)
  • Crystal Sorey (accomplice/witness)
  • Jason Sorey (Crystal’s brother and Harmony’s maternal uncle)

When police arrived at the scene, Crystal Sorey was found hiding in an abandoned shed at the rear of the property. The incident occurred during a period of freezing arctic temperatures, further endangering her and her unborn child.

January 28, 2014

  • U.S. Marshals arrested Adam Montgomery in Manchester, New Hampshire, in connection to the January 14 shooting in Haverhill, Massachusetts. He had been on the run for two weeks after shooting Robert Jacobs and being wounded by Cameron Vitalone during a drug-related altercation.

March 14, 2014

  • a Haverhill District Court judge ordered Adam Montgomery held without bond, determining that he was too dangerous to be released to the public following the  January 14 shootingReport

June 7, 2014

  • Harmony Montgomery was born to Crystal Sorey, who was 24 years old, and her father, Adam Montgomery, who was 25 and incarcerated then. From the very beginning, Harmony faced significant challenges. She was diagnosed with a rare brain condition called holoprosencephaly (HPE) shortly after birth. Doctors informed Crystal that Harmony was blind in both eyes and had less than a year to live, a prognosis that cast a shadow over her early days. The Haverhill, Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF) became involved almost immediately after Harmony’s birth.

June 2014

  • DCF received three  reports neglect of the newborn due to Crystal’s substance use. DCF gave Crystal a chance to overcome her addiction.

August 2014

  • DCF Haverhill Area Office received two additional reports alleging neglect of Harmony, who was two months old, Harmony was removed from the care and custody of Crystal Sorey and placed in foster care by the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF).
  • Although DCF initially gave Crystal a chance to overcome her addiction, by August, they took legal action in juvenile court and removed Harmony from her care.
  • Harmony was placed with a foster family, with the goal of reuniting her with her mother. Once in Foster Care, Harmony’s foster mom noticed something remarkable: Harmony was tracking the spoon with one of her eyes during feeding. She brought this to the medical team’s attention, leading to a revised holoprosencephaly (HPE) diagnosis. Harmony’s condition was changed to septooptic dysplasia (SOD), which, while still serious, was not fatal. The main impact was that Harmony remained legally blind in one eye.

September 2014

  • Adam Montgomery pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the shooting incident and sentenced to serve 18 months in the Middleton House of Correction in Middleton, Massachusetts

September 2014:

  • DCF began trying to contact Harmony’s father, Adam, who was still in prison. It wasn’t until December that they finally reached him. Adam requested to see his daughter.

December 9, 2014, Robyn Sorey, the mother of Crystal Sorey and maternal grandmother of Harmony Montgomery, passed away. Robyn’s death occurred six months after Harmony’s birth and during a period of housing and legal instability for Crystal.

January 2015:

  • Harmony and Crystal visit Adam in prison. Harmony was six months old, Adam met her for the first time in the visitation room of his prison.

April 2015

  • Harmony was removed by the DCF Haverhill Area Office from Crystal Sorey’s care due to Sorey’s substance use. Harmony was placed back in her previous foster home for the second time. Harmony was 10 months old. 

June 2015:

  • Foster Care Review, Crystal Sorey had not fully participated in her action plan tasks. She was inconsistent with individual therapy and substance use disorder treatment and was not regularly attending supervised visits with Harmony.

July 2015:

  • As Harmony’s first year of life came to a close, DCF held a significant meeting in July 2015 called a “Permanency Planning Conference.” Due to the length of time Harmony had spent in foster care—seven out of her twelve months—DCF decided that reunification with her mother was no longer the primary goal. Instead, they shifted the focus to finding a permanent adoptive family for Harmony.
  • For the remainder of 2015, Harmony continued to live with her foster family, the Rafterys.

September, 2015 – Adam was released from prison and moved to New Hampshire.

October 2015 – he began dating his future wife, Kayla Rivera.

June 2016:

  • Harmony had turned two years old. She had spent 19 out of her 24 months of life—about 80% with her foster family.
  • DCF held another “Foster Care Review” meeting that month, reaffirming that Harmony’s permanency goal remained adoption.

September 2016:

  • Adam Montgomery initiated telephone contact with the DCF case management team.

October 2016:

  • Adam contacted DCF, expressing interest in seeing his daughter. Over the next five months, from October 2016 to February 2017, Adam saw Harmony at least once a month.

December 2016:

  • The Foster Care Review panel determined Ms. Sorey was making efforts to stabilize and improve her situation.
  • She was participating in a parenting class and visiting consistently with Harmony at the DCF Haverhill Area Office.

January 2017:

  • The family’s case was transferred from the DCF Haverhill Area Office to the Jackson Square Area Office (Boston) because Crystal Sorey relocated. Adam Montgomery continued to reside in New Hampshire.

February 2017:

  • At the time, Harmony was two-and-a-half years old and had spent 85% of her life with her foster family.
  • Harmony’s case was transferred to a different DCF office because Crystal had moved.
  • The new team, with fresh eyes, noticed that Crystal seemed more stable, was participating in her services, and was consistently visiting Harmony. This led to an internal decision to change Harmony’s permanency goal back to reunification with her mother.

March 2017:

  • The DCF case management team returned Harmony to the care of Crystal Soreyafter approximately two years in foster care.

April 2017:

  • During her contact with the DCF case management team, Crystal informed them that Adam Montgomery called her and that he spoke with Harmony over the telephone. Crystal Sorey was warned by DCF that she could not do that.

May 2017:

  • Crystal maintained contact with Adam Montgomery. During one of the meetings, Sorey informed her DCF case manager about her ongoing communication with Montgomery.

July 2017:

  • Crystal Sorey broke the rules again. Adam Montgomery reported having weekend overnight visits with Harmony for the past four weeks, picking her up from Sorey on Fridays and returning her on Sundays.

September 2017:

  • Crystal maintained contact with Adam Montgomery and allowed him to visit Harmony.
  • The DCF case management team interviewed Adam Montgomery, who expressed frustration with both his assigned tasks and the requirement for supervised visits with Harmony.
  • A report of neglect was filed with the DCF Jackson Square Area Office, alleging that Crystal Sorey neglected Harmony by allowing Adam Montgomery unauthorized visitation with her.

October 2017:

  • Another Report of neglect were filed with the DCF Jackson Square Area Office alleging neglect of Harmony by both Crystal Sorey and Adam Montgomery. The concerns were related to the unsupervised visits Adam Montgomery had with Harmony while she was in Crystal Sorey’s care.
  • When the DCF case management team confronted Sorey about allowing overnight visits between Harmony and Adam Montgomery, Crystal Sorey stated that Montgomery threatened her with seeking sole custody of Harmony if she did not provide him with visitation.

January 2018:

  • Crystal struggles with substance abuse; Harmony is removed by Massachusetts DCF and placed in foster care once again. Harmony was about three-and-a-half, DCF placed her back with the Rafterys for the third time.

February 2018:

  • The foster family, deeply concerned, expressed their frustration to DCF. They believed that the repeated removals and reunification were causing Harmony trauma. Her behavioral issues were escalating, and her needs were growing more complex. After three months, the Rafterys made the difficult decision to return Harmony to DCF.

April 2018:

  • Sorey sought a Review and Re-determination hearing seeking to have Harmony placed in her care. Sorey’s Review and Re-determination hearing was scheduled for February 2019. 

June 2018:

  • On Harmony’s fourth birthday, DCF held another Foster Care Review meeting. Crystal’s consistently visited and participated in action plan, but Adam’s involvement remained minimal.
  • The permanency goal remained reunification with Crystal.

August 2018:

  • Adam resumed supervised visits with Harmony, seeing her one to two times per month for five months. During this time, Adam also took legal action, requesting a “review and re-determination hearing” in juvenile court.

As Harmony’s young life unfolded, marked by uncertainty and shifting goals, she remained caught in a web of decisions and circumstances beyond her control. Her story is one of resilience amidst constant upheaval, a little girl navigating a world that seemed to change as frequently as the seasons.  Read More

October 2018:

  • Adam Montgomery sought a Review and Re-determination hearing seeking to have Harmony placed in his care.
  • Review and Re-determination hearing was also scheduled for the same date as Sorey’s hearing in February 2019. 

December 2018:

  • The Foster Care Review panel determined Crystal Sorey was unstable in her sobriety and inconsistent with visits with Harmony.

December 19, 2018

  • Massachusetts DCF requests a Home Study on Adam Montgomery via ICPC.

February 22, 2019:

  • Adam Montgomery’s Review and Re-determination hearing took place in Juvenile Court. Crystal Sorey’s Review and Re-determination hearing did not take place that day because she was not present in court.
  • Crystal Sorey was absent from the hearing concerning Harmony due to a scheduling conflict. She was in another court attending a Care and Protection case related to the adoption of Harmony’s half-sibling. However, her presence was not necessary as she had previously lost custody of her son and his adoption was on November 22, 2019
  • Adam Montgomery’s court hearing proceeded without her. The Judge then awarded Adam Montgomery, who was living in New Hampshire, full custody of Harmony and determined that the ICPC did not apply.

Harmony had only lived with Crystal Sorey for approximately six months in her life :

  • Harmony was in foster care for nearly all the four and a half years DCF was involved with Harmony, beginning when she was two months old.
  • Harmony was repeatedly returned to and removed from Crystal Sorey’s care.
  • Sorey was unable to provide Harmony with a safe environment due to her substance use disorder and this resulted in Harmony’s removal from Sorey in 2014, only to be placed back with her twice, and removed twice more before January 2018.

Harmony spent approximately a total of 40 hours in supervised visits with her father from her birth to age four and a half.

  • Adam Montgomery was in and out of Harmony’s life since birth, not consistently visiting with her for more than four to six months at a time, with long periods of no-contact.
  • In August 2018 Mr. Montgomery visited with Harmony for the first time since September 2017, 11 months prior. Between August 2018 and when he received custody in February 2019, Adam Montgomery visited with Harmony approximately 11 times at a DCF area office for two-hour visits supervised by the DCF case management team.

April 21, 2019:

  • Crystal Sorey had her last contact with Harmony via FaceTime around Easter. During the video call, Crystal noticed that Adam was visible in the background, and she recalls that Harmony seemed frightened.

June 5, 2019:

  • Crystal began dating a man referred to as JE.

June 2019:

  • Adam, along with Harmony, Kayla, and their other children, visited Adam’s aunt, Kendra, and stayed at her home during the summer.

July 2019:

  • Adam Montgomery admitted to his uncle, Kevin Montgomery, that he had inflicted a black eye on Harmony. Kevin Montgomery is Adam’s uncle, while Michael Montgomery Sr. is Adam’s father.

An anonymous call was made to NH DCYF Intake regarding Harmony Montgomery alleging potential abuse.

  • The reporter alleged that when they visited the home a week prior, on July 22, 2019, Harmony Montgomery had a black eye that Adam Montgomery admitted to causing. The report was screened in and a CPSW as assigned.
  • The CPSW visited the home, and observed the children, including Harmony Montgomery, the same day as the report, July 29, 2019. On that date the CPSW sent an email to Manchester Police Department advising that they did not observe an injury on the child consistent with a black eye. This assessment was conducted as Adam Montgomery and Harmony were entering their vehicle and departing.  Report

June 2, 2019

  • Harmony Montgomery was seen by a doctor, as confirmed by court records.This visit occurred several months after her father, Adam Montgomery, was granted full custody in February 2019.  Harmony Montgomery Medical Report

July 7, 2019:

  • Kayla called the police on a friend Alex Call, who was high and refused to leave their house.

July 10, 2019:

  • The police were called to the house due to a domestic violence incident.

July 29, 2019

  • DCYF receives its first report of abuse. Kevin Montgomery reports Harmony has a black eye. Tsaros visits but only sees Harmony from a distance.

July 30, 2019

  • Kevin Montgomery submits a fifth report detailing further abuse.

August 1, 2019

  • Adam cancels a scheduled home visit with Tsaros.

August 5, 2019:

  • The police were called for a welfare check at 77 Gilford St. after a neighbor expressed concern about a young child living there. The neighbor believed the family was squatting and had no electricity.

August 7, 2019:

  • CPSW – Tsaros – interviewed Harmony Montgomery, Adam Montgomery, and Kayla Montgomery, and noted a red mark in her eye and faded bruising under her eyelid.When interviewed, Harmony Montgomery and Adam Montgomery said that the mark was caused by horseplay with another sibling when a toy light saber struck Harmony Montgomery near her eye. Kayla Montgomery reports that she did not observe the injury when it happened, but that she was contemporaneously told the same story.

August 8–9, 2019

  • Tsaros contacts a doctor and Kevin again; fails to verify if Harmony was medically examined.

August 16, 2019:

  • The Millers (adoptive parents) met Crystal and offered to adopt Harmony if the opportunity or need arose.

August 22, 2019:

  • The house at 77 Gilford St., where Adam, Kayla, Harmony, and three other children were staying, was sold at a public foreclosure auction. Despite the sale, the family continued squatting in the home.
  • Adam’s brother, Michael Montgomery, mentioned that the only electricity in the house came from a generator and that there was no central heating. Concerned family members in Florida had contacted the police and DCYF for wellness checks.

September 2019:

  • The property Adam was living in went into foreclosure. It had been owned by Helen Montgomery, 78, and Christina Digirolamo from 2016 until it was sold at auction in 2019.

September 11, 2019:

  • A domestic incident occurred between Kevin and Adam at 12:42 PM.
  • Kevin and Helen Montgomery file Reports #13 and #14 about foreclosure, filth, and lack of hot water.

September 12, 2019

  • Detective Sgt. Mike Bergeron of Manchester PD files Report #15 noting clutter and poor home conditions.

September 23, 2019:

  • Tabby Scott, a friend of Kayla and Adam who is considered somewhat of a step-sibling to Adam, posted a picture with Harmony in September 2019. She also posted separate selfies with Harmony, Kayla, and Adam, captioned with “No matter what, I love you guys to death.” Friends of the family noted that Tabby’s father had dated Adam’s mother for some time, and they had lived together as kids, maintaining a close relationship since.

October 2019:

  • Kevin Montgomery, Adam’s uncle, called the police to request an escort for him and his mother to enter the 77 Gilford St. home to retrieve some belongings and check on the children. He requested the escort to avoid any confrontation. During this visit, Kevin saw Harmony briefly and described her as looking “timid.”

October 1, 2019:

  • Tsaros and the Police made a final visit to the home and saw Adam Montgomery, Kayla Montgomery, Harmony Montgomery, and the other children in the household. The assessment was determined to be unfounded, however the situation was scored high risk for future child welfare involvement pursuant to the Risk Assessment tool citing the history of substance use, prior family history with child protection, and economic challenges. Police physically saw Harmony during a “Call for Service” at a Manchester home. Law enforcement considers this the last confirmed sighting of Harmony.

October 17, 2019

  • A closing letter was sent to Adam Montgomery and Kayla Montgomery on advising the family of the finding and recommended additional services to assist with housing.

November 11, 2019 – Blair Miller and his husband Jonathan adopt Jamison, Harmony’s brother (Crystal Sorey’s oldest son)

Thanksgiving 2019:

  • Christina Lubin, Kayla Montgomery’s mother, claimed that she saw Harmony during Thanksgiving. It was the only time Christina saw her, and she noted that Harmony “looked clean, didn’t have any bruises, was extremely polite, and very cute.” The visit was brief, and Christina mentioned that Kayla had told her that Harmony had gone to live with her biological mother.

December 7, 2019:

  • Harmony Montgomery was killed by her father Adam Montgomery.

December 20, 2019

  • Adam & Kayla Montgomery & the boys move into the FIT Shelter. Harmony’s body is kept inside the ceiling in the duffel bag which was accessed through a vent

January 7, 2020

  • DCYF receives anonymous report of Adam and Kayla using drugs around their children

January 8, 2020:

  • referral was received by NH DCYF regarding the Montgomery household, but did not reference Harmony Montgomery. When the CPSW asked about Harmony Montgomery, Adam Montgomery advised that she was again residing with her mother, Crystal Sorey, in Massachusetts and had been there since approximately Thanksgiving 2019.

January 13, 2020

  • Another Referrals were received by NH DCYF regarding the Montgomery household, unrelated to Harmony Montgomery. When the CPSW inquired about Harmony Montgomery, Adam Montgomery stated again that she was still living with her mother, Crystal Sorey, and that he had not seen her in a year.

January 21, 2020:

  • The CPSW called and left a voicemail with Crystal Sorey to confirm Harmony’s residence. Crystal Sorey never returned the call.

January 14, 2020

  • Adam Montgomery began working at Portland Pie Company

January 21, 2020

  • DCYF leaves a Voice Mail for Crystal to confirm Harmony’s address – But Crystal Sorey did not return a call

February 5, 2020

  • Smell complaint at FIT Shelter (Adam & Kayla & kids still there). Adam transfers Harmony’s body out of the due bag and into a CMC maternity bag inside the FIT Shelter bathroom and they store the maternity bag in the FIT Shelter closet

February 7, 2020

  • Kayla pushes a (front and back) stroller to Portland Pie Company with Harmony’s body (inside the maternity bag) placed in between her two boys. Adam then stores the maternity bag in the Portland Pie Co. cooler for “a week or two”

February 20, 2020

  • Adam & Kayla & the boys (and the bag) moved to 644 Union Street #2. Harmony’s body was removed from the CMC maternity bag and treated with quicklime in the apartment’s bathtub before Harmony’s body is repackaged into the maternity bag. Harmony’s body is then stored in the apartment freeze

March 3, 2020

  • Britney Bedard rents two rooms at the Econo Lodge for two nights (216 for Adam & Kayla & the boys, 313 for Britney Bedard & Travis Beach). Harmony’s body is kept in the motel mini-fridge, inside the CMC maternity bag.
  • 5:49 PM Brendon Middleton rents a U-Haul with Travis & Britney who then turn the keys over to Adam Montgomery
  • 11:25 PM – Adam tries to reach Travis on Facebook messenger
  • Adam 11:25pm “Yo”
  • Adam 11:27pm “If you are awake call me”
  • Adam 11:27pm “Need to talk”

March 4, 2020 – Several calls and messages are exchanged between Travis and Adam

  • 12:43 am Travis “Hey can we use the U-Haul for like 10 mins”
  • 12:43 am Adam missed a call from Travis
  • 3:35 am Travis missed a call from Adam
  • 3:35 am Adam “Know whats up bro hit me up”
  • 3:37 am Travis missed a call from Adam
  • 3:38 am Travis missed a call from Adam
  • 3:40 am Travis missed a call from Adam
  • 3:44 am Travis missed a call from Adam
  • 3:46 am Travis missed a call from Adam
  • 3:47 am Travis missed a call from Adam
  • 3:49 am Travis missed a call from Adam
  • 3:51 am Travis missed a call from Adam
  • 3:52 am Travis missed a call from Adam
  • 3:53 am Travis missed a call from Adam
  • 4:44 am Tobin Bridge Local North – did not pay toll in U-Haul
  • 4:45 am Tobin Bridge Local South – did not pay toll in U-Haul
  • 5:25 amTobin Bridge Local North – did not pay toll in U-Haul

More calls and messages between Adam and Travis

  • 6:59 am Travis missed a call from Adam
  • 12:16 pm Travis “Yo plz let me know when I can come by and grab my stu cause we only have the car till 130 thank u bubba”
  • 12:18 pm Adam missed a call from Travis
  • 12:22 pm short calls and video chats between Adam and Travis until 12:57pm
  • 1:47 pm Adam Montgomery returns the U-Haul
  • 2:47 pm “Pro what UHALL did y drop it o at cause we just got a text saying the van was supposed to be back at 2 so plz let me know wtf is going on”
  • 2:47 pm Travis “ASAP”
  • 7:08 pm Adam “I dropped it o on a Willow my word” “Please don’t message me stu like this on FB again”
  • 7:33 pm Travis “Um ok my bad won’t happen again bubba”
  • 9:26 pm – Travis missed a call from Adam
  • 9:27 pm Adam – “Yo bro can you call me please I need to talk to you it’s important very important please call me”

March 23, 2020

  • Assessment #850020 is closed as “Unfounded

July 7, 2021

  • Chris Lubin applies for a restraining order against Adam to keep him away from her house and her daughter and her grandchildren – She said Adam was stalking her daughter

September 2021:

  • Blare family (adoptive parents) contacted NH DCYF and raised concerns that Ms. Sorey has not seen Harmony since 2019 and has not been able to contact Montgomery to visit with Harmony.

September 14, 2021:

  • The matter was assigned to the Manchester DCYF District Office. DCYF District Office attempted to locate the family but was unsuccessful.

November 18, 2021

  • Crystal Sorey reported Harmony Montgomery Missing

November 18, 2021:

  • The Manchester Police Department joined the effort to locate the family, visiting multiple addresses where the family had previously resided.
  • The CPSW attempted to contact Adam Montgomery and Kayla Montgomery and spoke to other family members who did not know where the family was living.
  • The CPSW reached out to Maine and Massachusetts child protection agencies who had no recent involvement with the family. New Hampshire police began investigating Harmony’s disappearance

December 28, 2021:

  • Police Interviewed Kayla Montgomery

December 28, 2021:

  • Crystal Sorey sent a an email to the Mayor of Manchester Joyce Craig  Copy of the email

December 31, 2021:

  • Manchester Police Department spoke with Kayla Montgomery who stated that the last time she had seen Harmony was in November or December 2019. She said that Montgomery stated that he was driving Harmony back to her mother. Kayla Montgomery further stated that it was on the day after Thanksgiving in 2019 that Montgomery stated he was taking Harmony to her mother.
  • Kayla Montgomery admitted to Manchester Police that she had been receiving the additional food stamp assistance for Harmony.
  • They also interviewed Adam Montgomery who provided contradictory and unconvincing explanations of Harmony’s whereabouts, including saying that Ms. Sorey picked Harmony up while he told Kayla Montgomery that he was driving Harmony to Massachusetts to her mother.

January 4, 2022:

  • Adam Montgomery was arrested, by the Manchester Police Department, on one misdemeanor charge of interference with custody, two misdemeanor charges of endangering the welfare of a child and one felony charge of second degree assault.

January 6, 2022:

  • Manchester Police arrested Kayla Montgomery on one felony charge of welfare fraud contrary to RSA 167:17-b.

January 11, 2022:

  • Prosecutors dropped the felony welfare fraud charge against Mrs. Montgomery and added a new felony charge of theft.

January 22, 2022:

  • Police determined that Harmony was murdered

April 5, 2022:

  • Adam Montgomery was additionally charged with two counts each of being an armed career criminal, felon in possession of a firearm, and theft by unauthorized taking or transfer and receiving stolen property.

April 7, 2022:

  • Adam Montgomery was additionally charged with two counts of receiving stolen property related to a gun theft that took place in September or October 2019.

February 8, 2024:

  • The trial for Harmony’s murder began

February 22, 2024:

  • Adam Montgomery was found guilty of second-degree murder

May 9, 2024:

  • Adam Montgomery was sentenced to 45 years to life in prison

March 11, 2024

  • Crystal Sorey petitioned a New Hampshire probate court to have her daughter, Harmony Montgomery, declared legally dead and to be appointed as the administrator of Harmony’s estate. This legal step was necessary for Sorey to pursue wrongful death lawsuits on behalf of her daughter. The following day, March 12, 2024, the judge conditionally approved her request, pending the fulfillment of certain legal requirements, such as providing a probate surety bond and submitting the jury’s verdict from Adam Montgomery’s tri

March 12, 2024:

  • Harmony was legally declared dead

December 6, 2024 

  • Crystal Sorey filed the initial wrongful death lawsuit against the state of New Hampshire on September 13, 2024, in the Hillsborough County Superior Court, Northern District. The case number is 216-2024-CV-00722.
  • The lawsuit alleges that the New Hampshire Division for Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) was negligent in its duty to protect Harmony Montgomery, leading to her death. Sorey contends that DCYF failed to act on multiple reports of abuse and neglect, thereby exposing Harmony to foreseeable harm.  Complaint

Note: According to the Investigative  Report:

  • According to official reports: Crystal Sorey did not return a welfare check call from New Hampshire’s Division for Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) in early 2020. Specifically, on January 21, 2020, a child protection worker left a voicemail for Sorey to confirm Harmony’s residence, but she did not respond.
  • Who reported Harmony missing: September, 2021   The Blare family (adoptive parents) contacted NH DCYF and raised concerns that Crystal Sorey has not seen Harmony since 2019 and has not been able to contact Montgomery to visit with Harmony.

Harmony Montgomery had only lived with Crystal Sorey for approximately six months in her life : 

  • Harmony was in foster care for nearly all the four and a half years DCF was involved with Harmony, beginning when she was two months old. 
  • Harmony was repeatedly returned to and removed from Crystal Sorey’s care. 
  • Sorey was unable to provide Harmony with a safe environment due to her substance use disorder and this resulted in Harmony’s removal from Sorey in 2014, only to be placed back with her twice, and removed twice more before January 2018.

Harmony spent approximately a total of 40 hours in supervised visits with her father from her birth to age four and a half:

  • Adam Montgomery was in and out of Harmony’s life since birth, not consistently visiting with her for more than four to six months at a time, with long periods of no contact. 
  • In August 2018 Adam Montgomery visited with Harmony for the first time since September 2017, 11 months prior.
  • Between August 2018 and when he received custody in February 2019, Adam Montgomery visited Harmony approximately 11 times at a DCF area office for two-hour visits supervised by the DCF case management team.

April 8, 2025

  • Crystal Sorey signed a settlement agreement with the State of New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, the New Hampshire Division for Children, Youth and Families.  Source

May 23, 2025

Justice was not served:

  • Harmony Montgomery’s mother, Crystal Sorey, settled a lawsuit for over $2 million. As part of the settlement, she agreed not to hold the state or child protective services responsible for Harmony Montgomery’s deathSource

The denial of justice for Harmony is more important than ever now that Adam Montgomery appealed his conviction to the New Hampshire Supreme Court. Even more disturbing is the fact that in the recent settlement of a civil lawsuit, all parties agreed that the state does not have to admit any wrongdoing or unlawful conduct..

Apparently they cannot even speak publicly about the terms of the settlement. The money paid out bought exactly what the state wanted: silence and secrets. There is only one loser in the settlement and that is “justice”… for Harmony. This, despite the fact that DCYF closed Harmony’s case in October 2019, concluding there was no physical abuse by her father. The state officials simply did not believe that Adam Montgomery brutally punched her in the head causing a black eye and other injuries. Of course we now know from the trial that it was true. They could have stopped the abuse but they didn’t. Harmony was dead seven weeks after they closed the case when he murdered her, once again punching her in the head.  Source

  • Shortly after announcing a settlement agreement, Crystal Sorey posted a video mocking the public’s outrage over her payday settlement with “Are You Mad I Got Paid?“..   Source 

No justice was served, as Sorey claimed – the responsible parties do not have to admit any wrongdoing or unlawful conduct. Consequently, Harmony was abused again by someone who only saw a dollar sign and getting paid.

As part of the settlement, she agreed not to hold the state or child protective services responsible for Harmony Montgomery’s death. There is only one loser in the settlement and that is “justice”… for Harmony.  Source