Father of disappeared New Hampshire girl Harmony Montgomery charged with murder

The father of a 5-year-old New Hampshire girl who disappeared in 2019 but was not reported missing until late 2021 has been charged with murder.

Adam Montgomery, 32, was arrested and charged with a number of felonies, including second-degree murder, abuse of a corpse, falsifying physical evidence and tampering with witnesses or informants, New Hampshire officials announced Monday.

Investigators believe Montgomery beat his daughter to death “on or about December 7, 2019″ in the city of Manchester. Officials have not revealed whether a body has been discovered.

Montgomery allegedly told his uncle he struck Harmony in July 2019 after her infant brother began to cry while Montgomery was in the bathroom.

A 2021 arrest affidavit for Montgomery details other forms of abuse against the girl by her father, including corporal punishment, forced standing in corners for hours and cleaning a toilet with her tooth brush.

Harmony was last seen sometime in either Nov. 2019 or Dec. 2019, but investigators did not start searching for her until November 2021. That’s when Crystal Sorey, her mother, said she had been trying to find for Harmony for months.

When police spoke with Adam Montgomery about the girl’s whereabouts, he told them he took Harmony to live with Sorey around Thanksgiving 2019. Sorey told investigators she had not seen the girl since having a FaceTime call with her around Easter 2019.

In August 2022, officials announced the case was a homicide investigation after concluding Harmony’s body had been destroyed or hidden.

“I am in shock at this point, it hasn’t really hit me yet,” Sorey said in a text message. “Nobody wanted to listen to me, this could’ve all been avoided, but now we’re faced with the biggest battle my family will ever face!”

Adam Montgomery was set to be arraigned Tuesday at Hillsborough County Superior Court Northern District in Manchester.

“I do want to again express my deepest sympathies to Harmony’s family, friends and loved ones,” state Attorney General John Formella said at the news conference. “We understand that today’s news, while significant for purposes of this investigation, is yet another difficult moment for those who loved Harmony and those who have followed this case.”

With News Wire Services