THE mom of a five-year-old girl murdered by her father is suing the state of New Hampshire after she claims 17 separate complaints to authorities were ignored.
Harmony Montgomery was beaten to death by her father, Adam Montgomery, who hit her body in a duffel bag.
Her body was never found. But in January 2022, she was declared murdered, more than two years after she was last seen.
Montgomery was jailed for 56 years to life in prison on May 9, 2024, for the killing of his daughter in Manchester, New Hampshire, in 2019.
Now Harmony’s mother, Crystal Sorey, has detailed new allegations against the Granite State.
She accuses the Division of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) of failing to respond to reports of abuse made months before the murder.
The lawsuit was originally filed in September, but this month, her attorney filed a revised version that included additional information about the alleged failure of duty by New Hampshire authorities.
The lawsuit featured 17 different reports made to the DCYF before Harmony was reported missing by police on New Year’s Eve 2021.
One report states Harmony was being molested by people staying at the Montgomery family’s home, where drugs were also being used.
Child protection social worker Demetrios Tsaros is accused in the lawsuit of failing to respond appropriately to another report about Harmony’s black eye.
Tsaros did not respond immediately to The U.S. Sun’s requests for comment.
The U.S. Sun has also contacted the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office, representing the state.
This isn’t the first time Harmony’s mother has said her daughter was “failed” by authorities.
Harmony was born in June 2014 while her father was in prison and was placed in foster care at two months old.
In 2019, Adam Montgomery was awarded full custody of his daughter by a judge.
At the time, he was living with his wife Kayla and their two sons.
Harmony was beaten and abused by her father, with other relatives picking up on what was going on.
Her uncle, Kevin Montgomery, noticed the child had a black eye while on a visit from Florida.
Montgomery reportedly said that he had “bashed her” around, and Kevin contacted child protective agencies.
Chilling court documents show Montgomery’s cold, defiant answers to questioning from detectives about the “injuries” she allegedly sustained while in his care.
In late 2019, Montgomery was evicted from the home, and the family began living in a homeless shelter.
Harmony – who was struggling with toilet training – continued to suffer beatings at the hands of her father.
She was last seen by her mother looking “frightened” during a FaceTime call, she later said.
Her body was never discovered, but Montgomery later confessed to abusing her corpse.
In June 2022, cops tore up the floorboards and ripped apart closets as they searched the apartment where Harmony was living before her disappearance.
HARMONY MONTGOMERY CASE TIMELINE
Harmony Montgomery, 5, went missing in 2019. Her father was convicted of her murder.
- Feb 2019: Adam Montgomery is granted legal custody of his daughter, Harmony, by a family court judge in Lawrence, Massachusetts
- Easter 2019: Harmony’s mother, Crystal Sorey, speaks to her daughter on Facetime, later remarking that she seemed ‘scared.’ This is the last time she saw her
- Jul 2019: The Division of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) receives an anonymous call alleging abuse of Harmony. She is seen with a black eye. A social worker visits the home but reports no eye injury
- Aug 2019: A child protective service worker visits the home again, interviewing Harmony and Adam, as well as Harmony’s stepmom Kayla Montgomery. The worker notices a red mark in Harmony’s eye and bruising under her eyelid. Her father says it was caused when she was struck by a time while she played with a sibling
- Oct 2019: Child protective services make a final visit to Harmony’s house. They report that all the children appeared happy and healthy
- Nov/Dec 2019: Adam Montgomery tells Kayla he is taking Harmony to see her mother in Massachusetts. This is the last time Kayla says she saw her stepdaughter. Police believe Harmony was murdered in early December.
- Dec 2021: The DCYF tells police in Manchester, NH, that they cannot find Harmony. Police begin hunting for Adam Montgomery. He is later found living in his car with his new girlfriend. He is uncooperative with authorities. Police also hold a press conference announcing the search for Harmony
- Jan 2022: A 24-hour tipline is set up, and a reward of $144,000 for information relating to Harmony. The FBI joins police in searching her old home, beginning a two-day mission that turns up nothing. Harmony’s father is arrested and charged with second-degree assault, interference with custody, and endangering the welfare of a child. Kayla Montgomery is arrested and charged with felony welfare fraud
- Mar 2022: Kelsey Small, Adam Montgomery’s girlfriend at the time of his arrest, is found dead. She was not facing any charges at the time, and her death was not considered suspicious
- Apr 2022: Adam Montgomery is arrested on six gun charges. Later that month, Kayla Montgomery is charged with two firearms charges
- Oct 2022: Adam Montgomery is arrested and charged with Harmony’s murder
- Jan 2023: Montgomery is indicted by a grand jury on a charge of second-degree murder
- Jun 2023: Montgomery’s weapons trial begins. Kayla Montgomery testifies against her husband. He is found guilty of all firearms counts
- Aug 2023: Montgomery is sentenced to decades in prison over weapons charges. He urges the judge not to consider the charges he is facing in his daughter’s death and denies killing Harmony
- Feb 2024: Montgomery’s murder trial begins. He is found guilty of all charges.
- Mar 2024: Harmony’s mother asks a judge to declare her daughter legally dead. This is granted. Court documents reveal she is planning to sue New Hampshire for wrongful death
- May 2024: Montgomery is sentenced to 56 years to life in prison for murdering his daughter
Montgomery was arrested for murder in October 2022.
A year later, Montgomery was found guilty of firearms charges in a case unrelated to Harmony’s disappearance and murder.
Montgomery denied killing his daughter in court in a last-ditch emotional plea to the judge during his August 2023 trial, talking about his addiction and saying he “could’ve had a meaningful life.”
He showed no remorse, appearing in court grinning with his tongue stuck out at the start of jury selection.
In court, his “child killer” neck tattoo was spotted under his orange prison uniform.
Earlier this year, it was uncovered that he told a friend he “hated” his daughter “right to his core” shortly before he murdered her.
The trial also heard Harmony died in the back of Montgomery’s car while he ate Burger King and did drugs.
To this date, he has never revealed where he disposed of her body, but in February this year, he was heard on a phone call from jail saying the FBI was “wasting time” searching for Harmony.
In March 2024, a New Hampshire judge granted Sorey’s request to have her daughter declared legally dead due to Montgomery’s confession.
Harmony’s stepmom, Kayla Montgomery, walked free from jail in May 2024, despite admitting to “hiding” Harmony’s body.
In February this year, she said she and Montgomery traveled with Harmony’s body in a bag for months.
She was previously arrested in June 2022 for continuing to claim $1,500 in child benefits for Harmony more than a year after her disappearance.
Kayla later told the court how her estranged husband wanted to use a “handsaw and blender” to get rid of Harmony’s body, as she described how he folded her in half and stuffed her in a tote bag.
