Law enforcement is looking for a missing 7-year-old girl named Harmony Montgomery. She was last seen in her hometown of Manchester, New Hampshire, on Oct. 1, 2019. On this day, the Manchester Police Department officers responded to a call for service at her home. However, law enforcement did not know she was missing until last week. More than two years have passed, and new evidence has come into place linking father Adam Montgomery to this crime.
Her father had legal custody in 2019. The mother notified the police that her daughter was missing in November 2019. Officers of Manchester were unable to find or locate the father. Once upon a time, the mother lost custody of her daughter due to substance abuse issues. She regained her sobriety and wanted to become a part of her daughter’s life, but the father blocked all contact. He was found living in a car around Thanksgiving 2019 by Manchester police officers. Montgomery told police authorities that he gave his daughter back to the mother. Why would police not investigate this in 2019? A missing person’s report was never filed for 7-year-old Harmony Montgomery is missing but not forgotten.
The 7-year-old girl has been missing since 2019, but the police claim they just heard about it last week. “The office of Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig received an email last week regarding Harmony that expressed concerns about the state Division for Children, Youth, and Families, according to Lauren Smith, the mayor’s chief of staff. She said her office responded and sent the information it received to Manchester police,” according to The Washington Post.
The police department asserts it did not have enough evidence to issue an amber alert. However, if it is suspected that a child has been abducted by a stranger or parent, including signs that they intend to harm the child is a guideline for New Hampshire Police Amber Alerts.
On Tuesday, her dad was arrested. “Montgomery was arrested on a warrant charging him with felony second-degree assault arising from 2019 conduct against Harmony, as well as one misdemeanor charge of interference with custody and two misdemeanor charges of endangering the welfare of a child pertaining to Harmony,” according to NBC Boston News.
In the summer of 2019, Uncle Kevin Montgomery noticed his niece with a black eye. He also told police about other forms of “abusive discipline” that took place, such as standing in the corner for hours and scrubbing the bottom of the toilet with a toothbrush. The lead led to Adam Montgomery’s arrest.
New evidence provided by the little girl’s uncle shed light and pointed law enforcement into a new direction involving Harmony; she is still missing but not forgotten.
“I know people are going to say: ‘Well, here it is 2021, almost 2022, and nobody’s seen this young girl since late of October 2019. So what’s happened in the last two years?’ Fair question,” Chief Aldenberg told reporters last week. “That’s why I’m here today. Because we need assistance, we need help, and we don’t have many answers to many questions that we have,” according to The Washington Post.
Written by Lionel Carter
Sources:
NBC10 Boston News: Dad of Missing NH Girl Harmony Montgomery Arrested; Disturbing New Details in Case; by Michael Rosenfield, Marc Fortier and Asher Klein
The Washington Post: A 7-year-old girl disappeared in 2019. Police say they learned about it last week; by Marisa Iati
Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Manchester City’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Insert Image Courtesy of Ted Eytan’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
