A ‘monster’ father punched his little girl to death and scattered her body in various places. He refused to tell police where he’d hidden her remains in a cruel final insult to her family
Little Harmony Montgomery‘s body has never been found after her vile dad killed her and dumped her remains.
Police believe the five-year-old was murdered two years before she was reported missing.
Adam Montgomery was sentenced to a minimum of 56 years behind bars in the US on murder and other charges. He was described as a “monster” who “deserved to spend the rest of his life in prison”.
Harmony’s biological mother is now suing the “monster” father for “breathtaking abuse” and neglect. It comes after a mum left a 16-month-old home alone to die when she went on holiday.
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When Harmony was born in 2014, Montgomery and the baby’s biological mother Crystal Sorey weren’t together. The little girl spent her early years living between foster parents and her mother’s care until Crystal lost custody in 2018 while suffering with substance abuse issues.
Her father, who had an extensive criminal record, was awarded custody of his daughter in early 2019. Crystal said the last time she saw her daughter alive was during a video call around Easter that year.
During Montgomery’s trial, his estranged wife Kayla testified that the family, along with her two young sons by her husband, had been evicted from their home just before Thanksgiving in 2019 and were living in a car.
She said that on December 7 Montgomery had punched Harmony – who was partially blind in her left eye and had special behavioural needs – several times in her face and head because he was angry she had wet herself in the vehicle.
The horrific violence occurred, she claimed, as they drove from a methadone clinic to a fast food restaurant. Kayla said she had been passing food to the children but hadn’t noticed that Harmony was dead until they stopped because the car broke down.
She claimed her husband put Harmony’s body in a duffel bag and went on to hide the corpse in various places for the next three months, including the boot of a car, a homeless centre ceiling vent, a freezer and a cooler.
Kayla said she didn’t report the death because she was frightened of Montgomery, who had started being abusive and punching her. She escaped from him in March 2021.
Montgomery’s lawyers said their client did not kill Harmony and that Kayla was lying to protect herself because she was the last person to see the little girl alive.
Crystal eventually reported her daughter missing and New Hampshire police announced they were looking for a missing child on New Year‘s Eve 2021. Photos of her were circulated online and they determined she had been killed. She was declared legally dead in March 2024.
Montgomery’s lawyers acknowledged his guilt on two lesser charges, that he “purposely and unlawfully removed, concealed or destroyed” her corpse and falsified physical evidence, but said he didn’t kill his daughter.
However, the jury saw through the killer’s deciet. Montgomery was convicted of killing his daughter during his trial in February 2024 and in May last year was sentenced to a minimum of 56 years in prison on murder and other charges.
The jail time was added on to the minimum 32 1/2-year sentence he began the previous year for unrelated gun charges. The jury also convicted him of assaulting Harmony Montgomery in 2019 and of tampering with the key prosecution witness, Kayla Montgomery.
A prosecutor offered to lessen the sentence for the second-degree murder conviction and other charges if he revealed the location of his daughter’s remains. However, the cruel killer remained silent in the courtroom. His lawyer said it shouldn’t be interpreted as a lack of remorse. Her body has never been found.
After the sentencing, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu described Montgomery as a “monster”. He said in a statement: “I am grateful to the judge, jury, and Department of Justice for delivering justice for Harmony. Adam Montgomery is a monster and deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison.”
Harmony’s mum Crystal filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the state Division for Children, Youth and Families last year. In May, New Hampshire officials said it would hand over $2.25m to her but said the settlement was not an admission of any wrongdoing or unlawful conduct.
“The state agreed to these settlements to avoid prolonged litigation and support closure for the families,” New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella said in a statement. “We recognize their profound loss and hope this brings some measure of peace.”
Last month Crystal filed a lawsuit against Montgomery on behalf of her daughter’s estate, arguing that the toddler “endured breath-taking abuse and neglect by her father.”
According to WCVB the complaint states: “Five-year-old Harmony Montgomery was beaten to death by her father, Adam Montgomery, in December 2019. From the time Harmony was placed with her father in February 2019 until the date of her death in December 2019, Harmony endured breath-taking abuse and neglect by her father, leading ultimately to Harmony’s homicide.”
