Seven-year-old Harmony Montgomery is still missing after last being seen two years ago in Manchester, New Hampshire. And now, police are finding new leads in the unsettling case of the little girl’s whereabouts.
As we’ve been reporting, the Manchester Police Department was recently tipped off that Harmony (pictured above) had not been definitively seen in public since she was 5 years old back in October 2019. Cops began investigating in late December, and over this past weekend, they executed a search warrant on a home previously connected to the family.
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Now, police have made a major move in the case: on Tuesday, they arrested 31-year-old Adam Montgomery (mugshot pictured, above) on a series of charges from shortly before her disappearance two years ago.
The accusations against the father include one felony count of second-degree assault regarding an alleged incident in July 2019 when he reportedly beat Harmony. Cops have also charged Montgomery with one misdemeanor count of interference with custody and two misdemeanor charges of endangering the welfare of a child.
Sadly, the search for Harmony continues. Police say they still have not accounted for the girl, and their investigation is moving ahead full force. Even with that, the legal issues surrounding the embattled father are already quite severe. According to an arrest affidavit, that July 2019 incident was particularly terrible: cops claim Adam punched Harmony in the face and gave her a black eye during the awful ordeal.
Horrifically, Adam’s uncle Kevin Montgomery appeared to have confirmed the black eye claim at the time. The elder Montgomery told cops at the time of the 2019 filing that Adam had said to him (below):
“I bashed her around this house.”
So sick.
The allegations don’t stop there, either. The July 2019 police docs further claim that Adam allegedly routinely spanked his daughter. He allegedly would also force her to stand in a corner for hours as punishment, and he would apparently make her “scrub the toilet with her own toothbrush.” Jeez…
Kevin immediately reported his nephew’s child abuse claims to the Department of Children, Youth, and Their Families way back in 2019, though it is unclear to what degree the agency investigated the allegations at the time. That portion of the police affidavit has apparently been redacted from public view.
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Media reports are now coming to light regarding what set off the present-day investigation into Harmony’s disappearance, as well. Harmony’s mother, Crystal Storey, initially called the Manchester PD back in mid-November and reported that she had not seen her daughter since April 2019 — two and a half years prior.
Storey explained that she’d lost custody of Harmony in July 2018 due to her drug addiction problems, and alleged that Adam had also struggled with substance abuse issues. Police began investigating, and in late December, Adam’s brother Michael Montgomery came forward and shared his own concerns about Harmony’s safety, as well.
Cops interviewed Michael about the situation, and per the police affidavit on the case, Michael confirmed having heard about the black eye allegations in a second-hand way:
“Michael recalled that Adam was ‘super short’ with the child, and he learned through other family members that Adam had given [Harmony] a black eye. However, Kevin had first-hand knowledge of the child’s eye injury from 2019.”
Cops re-interviewed Kevin on New Year’s Eve, and he confirmed again that he had not seen Harmony since 2019. Adam’s other ex-wife also told cops that she hadn’t seen the little girl since late 2019, either.
Police came across Adam earlier this week sleeping in his car with a new girlfriend on a Manchester street. Upon interrogating him at that time, officers allege he “made some contradictory statements” about the girl’s whereabouts, first claiming he had sent her to live with an ex in Lowell, Massachusetts two years ago before later alleging he’d seen Harmony “somewhat recently.”
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Police records indicate that Adam has an extensive criminal history dating back nearly 15 years. In New Hampshire, he has previously faced charges including burglary, stalking, and first-degree assault. And in neighboring Massachusetts, he was charged in 2014 with armed robbery and assault with intent to murder over an apparent drug deal gone wrong, though DailyMail.com reports that those charges were later downgraded.
As for Harmony, Manchester Police Chief Allen Aldenberg is trying to make sense of what happened two years ago when Kevin apparently reported the first abusive incident. When asked by reporters whether any action was taken after Kevin’s initial report, Aldenberg said:
“That’s what we’re trying to get to the bottom of. If there was some flaw in the system: Where was it and how is it going to be addressed?”
No kidding…
For now, police are still investigating with the hopes that they will be able to account for Harmony. As we previously noted, she is described as being about 4 feet tall and weighing about 50 pounds. She has blonde hair and blue eyes, and she wears glasses as she is legally blind in her right eye.
The FBI‘s Boston office has now taken up the case (below):
Can you help us locate 7-year-old Harmony Montgomery who was last seen in the fall of 2019? Today, @mht_nh_police announced that the reward for information has increased to $33,000. You can submit tips by calling or texting 603-203-6060. pic.twitter.com/SPxlmpbIsj
— FBI Boston (@FBIBoston) January 5, 2022
And here is more from the Manchester PD as they continue to search for Harmony Montgomery:
So scary.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to that adorable little girl.
We sincerely hope more than anything that she is found safe and sound, for the alternative is just too terrible to consider.
[Image via FBI Boston/Twitter/Manchester Police Department]
The post Missing 7-Year-Old's Father Arrested For Child Abuse — Allegedly Admitted He 'Bashed Her Around' Before Disappearance appeared first on Perez Hilton.
