Stepmom Of Missing New Hampshire Girl Failed To Appear, Arrested Again

CONCORD, NH — The stepmother of a missing New Hampshire girl, who was presumed dead by investigators in August, was arrested on Friday for failure to appear in court on several charges.

Kayla Montgomery, 32, of an unknown address, was arrested on Friday after failing to appear at a dispositional conference hearing on Thursday in Hillsborough County Superior Court North. She faces six felony and two misdemeanor charges unrelated to the Harmony Montgomery homicide case. Kayla Montgomery faces two receiving stolen property charges connected to stolen guns from September 2019; felony theft by deception and public welfare charges from November 2019 as well as two misdemeanor public welfare charges from February and March 2021; and two felony perjury charges from May 20.

“It is anticipated that Ms. Montgomery will be held pursuant to the warrant issued yesterday by the Superior Court until the Court schedules and conducts a hearing next week on the arrest,” Michael Garrity, the director of communications and legislative affairs for the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office. “No further details are available at this time.”

Kayla Montgomery faces perjury charges after being accused of lying to a Hillsborough County grand jury as part of the welfare fraud and theft charges. She was accused of lying to the grand jury about employment. Kayla Montgomery was also accused of welfare fraud for accepting benefits to pay for Harmony Montgomery’s care even though she was not living with her at the time. In April, there were rumors that a plea deal was in the works. But that report appears to have not come to fruition. The firearm charges involve a rifle and shotgun that were stolen.

Adam Montgomery, Kayla Montgomery’s husband and Harmony Montgomery’s father, faces several charges connected to the stolen gun case, including armed career criminal, felon in possession of firearms, theft, and stolen property charges, all felonies. Both Adam Montgomery and Kayla Montgomery have been indicted on the gun theft charges. Adam Montgomery faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison but not more than 40 years if convicted on each of the career criminal charges as well as fines and 11 to 22 years and fines on the theft and felon in possession charges. He also was indicted months ago on a felony second-degree assault charge as well as interference with custody and two endangering the welfare of a child charges after being accused of assaulting his daughter in July 2019. He is being held without bail.

About a month ago, John Formella, the state’s attorney general, announced the Harmony Montgomery case was no longer a missing person but a homicide case. After spending thousands of hours on the case and pursuing many leads, investigators concluded the girl was killed in Manchester in early December 2019. Multiple sources of investigative information, including confirmed biological evidence, led investigators to the conclusion, Formella said.

Anyone with information regarding Harmony Montgomery is asked to call the Manchester Police Department's 24-hour Harmony Montgomery tip line at 603-203-6060.

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