Missing seven-year-old Harmony Montgomery’s dad has been blasted as a ‘sweet-talking’ liar by his mother-in-law – who told DailyMail.com: ‘He’s pure evil – I pray she’s still alive.’
Cops in Manchester, New Hampshire have spent the past few weeks searching desperately for the blond-haired youngster after learning from family members that she has not been seen since 2019.
Harmony was supposed to be in the custody of deadbeat dad Adam Montgomery, 31, who was found homeless and living in a car this week.
Montgomery was arrested on a felony assault charge after his relatives told cops he once gave the little girl a black eye – but so far he has not charged over her baffling disappearance.
Adam Montgomery, 31 (left), the father of missing New Hampshire girl Harmony Montgomery (right), was arrested Tuesday on charges of assault, interference with custody and endangering the welfare of a child
This aerial photo shows police searching the backyard at 77 Gilford Street in Manchester, New Hampshire, on Sunday as part of an investigation into the disappearance of seven-year-old Harmony Montgomery
In a further twist Wednesday night his estranged wife Kayla Montgomery, who has three kids with him but is not Harmony’s mom, was arrested for claiming $1,500 worth of food stamps in Harmony’s name from December 2019 to June 2021.
Kayla Montgomery, 31 (left), was arrested and charged with felony welfare fraud for collecting food stamps in the name of her missing stepdaughter, Harmony Montgomery
Speaking after her daughter’s arraignment Thursday morning, Christina Lubin, 51, admitted Kayla had a history of dishonesty but insisted she had nothing to do with Harmony’s disappearance.
She pointed the finger of suspicion squarely at estranged son-in-law Montgomery, a career criminal with a history of violence and drugs.
‘Adam, for the first couple years was some sweet guy – but he’s not, he is pure evil. He is pure evil,’ she repeated from the doorstep of her Manchester home.
‘He can sweet-talk and swindle like he did with us for two years. He points the finger at everybody else and talks up quite the storm.’
Court records seen by DailyMail.com reveal that Lubin sought a restraining order against Montgomery last year.
She confirmed she has spoken several times this week with police and provided potential new information – but declined to go into specifics.
Lubin said that after her son-in-law’s arrest she immediately grilled her daughter, 31, about what was going on with Harmony.
Adam Montgomery’s estranged wife has three kids with him but is not Harmony’s mom
Harmony Montgomery, pictured as a 5-year-old, has not been seen in two years and police are still looking for her
Harmony was described as four-feet tall and weighs 50-pounds. She has blonde hair, blue eyes and wears glasses because she is blind in her right eye
She said Kayla’s story was consistent with the account she gave to cops as outlined in her arrest affidavit.
In court filings Kayla is quoted as having told detectives last week that she had last seen Harmony, who is blind in one eye, in November 2019, before her husband dropped her off at a Dunkin’ Donuts, where she worked.
‘Adam said that he was driving [Harmony] back to Crystal who was living in Lowell, MA, at the time,’ the affidavit states, referring to the girl’s birth mother, Crystal Sorey.
‘Kayla claimed she never saw, or heard about [Harmony] after that day.’
Sorey, 31, lost custody of Harmony in 2018 and has denied even taking her back.
She told police she has not seen her daughter since a 2019 FaceTime call and has been trying to track her down ever since.
When police pressed Kayla about receiving food stamps for Harmony for over a year after the child’s last sighting, she ‘acknowledged receiving those benefits knowingly,’ the affidavit goes on.
Lubin said her daughter told her an identical story about how she last saw Harmony sometime between Thanksgiving and December 6, 2019.
Crystal Sorey (right) – Harmony’s biological mother – lost custody of the young girl in 2018 because of her drug addiction
Montgomery (left) is accused of punching Harmony in the face and giving her a black eye in July 2021. Multiple relatives observed the then-5-year-old with the eye injury at the time
‘Adam dropped her off at work and he said to her, I am bringing Harmony to her mother. And then he came back later. I don’t know how many hours,’ she said.
‘I’ve given all that information to the police. I do believe her, she is staying very consistent. I’m her mom. I can tell.
‘I drilled my daughter, believe me. She used to be a liar but I know how to get the truth out of my daughter. And all she said was that he dropped her off at work.’
She said of missing Harmony: ‘I hope and pray she is still alive but it’s been two years so I don’t know.’
Harmony was reported missing by her biological mother in November and still has not been found.
Manchester police set up a 24-hour tip line this week and offered cash rewards totaling $33,000 in an effort to find the child. They said they were working with the state Division for Children, Youth and Families and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Adam Montgomery was arrested on Tuesday in Manchester on a warrant charging him with one felony count of second-degree assault; one misdemeanor charge of interference with custody, and two misdemeanor charges of endangering the welfare of a child.
The Manchester Police Department stated in a press release that despite Montgomery’s arrest, ‘the search for Harmony continues.’
Harmony, right, pictured with her younger brother, Jamison, was last seen in October 2019, but she was reported missing only in December 2021
An arrest affidavit obtained by DailyMail.com alleges that Montgomery, who has a history of criminal offenses in two states and drug abuse, punched Harmony in the face and gave her a black eye – just six months after New Hampshire’s child protective services handed him custody of his daughter.
Montgomery’s uncle quoted Adam as telling him of the beating: ‘I bashed her around this house,’ according to the filing.
He also would allegedly spank his daughter on her buttocks, force her to stand in a corner for hours and make her scrub the toilet with her own toothbrush.
Kevin Montgomery also told police that he reported the 2019 assault to the Department of Children of Children Youth and Their Families (DCYF), but it is unclear whether his complaint was ever investigated by the agency. The portion of the affidavit pertaining to that incident has been redacted.
An investigation was launched only after Harmony’s mother, Crystal Sorey, called the Manchester Police Department on November 18, saying that her daughter was missing and that she had not seen her since April 2019 on a FaceTime call.
‘Crystal recalled that [Harmony] seemed frightened,’ according to the affidavit.
Sorey explained that she had lost custody of Harmony in July 2018 because she was a drug addict, and she said that Montgomery also had struggled with substance abuse problems.
Montgomery, who was pictured in his booking photo with a teardrop tattoo on his face, was scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday, but he waived his right to a hearing and was ordered held without bond.
According to the Superior Court Bail order, Montgomery has been placed in what is known in New Hampshire as preventive detention ‘based on clear and convincing evidence that the defendant’s release will endanger the safety of the defendant or of the public.’
Montgomery has also been prohibited from having any contact with Harmony’s mother, or his estranged wife.
Records cited by the station revealed that Montgomery has a vast criminal history dating back to 2007 in New Hampshire, including charges of burglary, stalking and first-degree assault.
In Massachusetts , he was charged in 2014 with armed robbery and assault with intent to murder during a drug deal, but the charges were later downgraded.
