Report Expected To Show Massachusetts Department Failed Missing New Hampshire Girl

BOSTON, MA — A soon-to-be-released report is expected to show officials from Massachusetts failed to keep a missing girl when she was living in the state and allowing her father in New Hampshire to take custody of her, according to WCVB-TV.

The Massachusetts Office of the Child Advocate report will show major flaws in the state’s system when it came to Harmony Montgomery’s safety, the station said Monday. Harmony Montgomery, 7, has not been seen since October 2019. For about six months, police in New Hampshire have been searching for the girl while also filing other unrelated charges against her father, Adam Montgomery, and her stepmother, Kayla Montgomery.

Before a court gave custody of Harmony Montgomery to her father, she was in the care of the Massachusetts Department of Children & Families. The custody decision was made despite her father’s long, violent criminal history in both states. He also had little-to-no interaction with his daughter or her mother, the report, which should be released this week, is expected to say.

Family and youth services and government officials in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts as well as the judiciary in the Bay State have been investigating Harmony Montgomery’s care after it was revealed she slipped through the cracks of both systems’ cross-border collaboration agreements. New Hampshire officials released a report in late February and moved to make structural changes to the Division of Children, Youth, & Families to ensure a similar situation does not happen again.

Adam Montgomery is currently being held in jail on second-degree assault, a charge he has been indicted on, and several gun theft charges, which emerged in April. Kayla Montgomery is also being held on a felony theft, accused of collecting benefits for the child when she was not living with her and receiving stolen property in Adam Montgomery’s gun theft case. She was also indicted on the charge. Previously published reports stated she was working on a plea deal with the state, although officials would not confirm the deal. In mid-March, Kelsey Small, a woman Adam Montgomery was dating for more than a year while he was homeless, died. The death has been deemed not suspicious, and officials said she was not charged with anything related to the case.

Last month, volunteers became involved in the search, canvassing an area not far from the family’s former home and where they were previously seen living in cars, along the Manchester and Bedford town lines.

Heather Hamel, the public information officer for the Manchester Police Department, said the case was "still active and ongoing," with police fielding more than 750 tips.

"Manchester police detectives continue to investigate this child’s disappearance every day," she said. "The dedicated tipline remains active, and although the number of tips has decreased over time, we continue to receive tips and follow up on all of them. We still have hope that the right person will come forward with the information we need to find this little girl."

There is $150,000 in reward money connected to the case, Hamel said.

Harmony Montgomery was last seen when she was 5. She was around 4 feet tall, weighed around 50 pounds, with blond hair and blue eyes. Harmony Montgomery wears glasses and is blind in one eye.

The department is still manning a 24-hour, 7-day tip hotline for the case: 603-203-6060. Tips can also be submitted to the Manchester Crimeline at 603-624-4040.

Read the full report on wcvb.com.

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