Stepmother Of Missing New Hampshire Girl Now Faces Firearm Theft Charges

CONCORD, NH — The stepmother of a missing New Hampshire girl, whose husband was arrested on stolen firearm charges last month, now faces charges as part of the same investigation.

Kayla Montgomery, 31, who has an active felony theft case against her, accused of collecting welfare benefits for Harmony Montgomery, 7, when the girl was not living with her, was arrested on Tuesday on two felony counts of receiving stolen property. The New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office arrested Adam Montgomery, 32, on April 4 on eight felony charges connected to the theft of the two weapons. The attorney general’s office, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the U.S. Marshals Service now accuse Kayla Montgomery of being involved in the incident.

“The charges allege that between Sept. 29, and Oct. 22, 2019, in Manchester, Kayla Montgomery received or retained a rifle and a shotgun belonging to C.F., knowing that the firearms had been stolen or believing that they had probably been stolen,” Michael Garrity, the director of communications for the department, said.

Each charge carries a seven and a half to 15-year sentence if convicted.

Garrity said there was no evidence of any connection between the stolen firearms and the disappearance of Harmony Montgomery. The charges, like the ones against Adam Montgomery, were discovered during the process of trying to find the missing girl.

“Due to the ongoing nature of this investigation, no additional information about the facts of this case will be released at this time,” Garrity said.

The charges were issued just five days after a rumor of a plea deal surfaced between the prosecution and the stepmother concerning the welfare benefits theft charge, a report not confirmed by the state department of justice.

The search for Harmony Montgomery continues.

The girl was last seen around the same time the guns were reportedly stolen, in October 2019.

Volunteers were recently on the West Side of Manchester near the Bedford town line, searching an area near where the family previously lived for clues to the case. Federal and local investigators have searched the home where the family once lived on two occasions. Manchester police are still asking for anyone who may have seen the family living out of two cars when the girl disappeared to come forward.

Adam Montgomery is being held on both a second-degree assault charge, accused of assaulting his daughter, as well as the gun theft charges. He was indicted on the assault charge in March. He has a long criminal history, with serious crimes occurring in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, dating back nearly two decades when he was a teenager living in Bedford. He is also being eyed as a potential suspect in the 2008 murder of Darlin Guzman of Lynn, MA.

Harmony Montgomery is white, about 4 feet tall, and weighs around 50 pounds. She has blond hair, blue eyes, and wears glasses. Harmony Montgomery is also blind in one eye. She was 5 at the time she was last seen.

Officials request any information about the girl or family be submitted to the 24-hour Harmony Montgomery tip line at 603-203-6060. A reward of around $150,000 has been offered for the case.

Editor's note: This post was derived from information supplied by the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office and does not indicate a conviction. This link explains the removal request process for New Hampshire Patch police reports.

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