Authorities announced Thursday that they believe Harmony Montgomery was murdered in New Hampshire in 2019. Her body has not been found.
The case of Harmony Montgomery, a New Hampshire girl who has been missing for over two years and is now believed to have been killed in 2019, has been closely followed by people throughout New England. Complete strangers, even, have become so invested in finding the little girl that they volunteer for intense searches in wooded areas in Manchester.
The case has unfolded over the past eight months with frequent developments, many involving legal proceedings against Harmony's father, Adam Montgomery, and her stepmother, Kayla Montgomery.
WATCH ANYTIME FOR FREE
 |
Stream NBC10 Boston news for free, 24/7, wherever you are. |
Here's a recap of Harmony Montgomery's disappearance case, so far.
Get updates on what's happening in Boston to your inbox. Sign up for our News Headlines newsletter.
Easter 2019: Harmony's biological mother, Crystal Sorey, told NBC10 Boston this was the last time she spoke to Harmony over Facetime.
Sorey lost legal custody of the girl in 2018 as she struggled with substance abuse issues. Harmony's father, Adam Montgomery -- who had legal custody -- blocked all contact. He was living in Manchester at the time.
Sorey, who lives in Massachusetts, said that she went on to call New Hampshire schools, drove by homes associated with Harmony's father and made multiple calls to the New Hampshire Division of Children, Youth and Families.
October 2019: Manchester police, Harmony was seen during a Manchester police call for service in October 2019 at a residence in the city. This is the last time she was seen in Manchester, police said.
Dec. 31, 2021: Manchester police announce they received a report that Harmony Montgomery has not been seen since late 2019. "The circumstances surrounding this prolonged absence are very concerning and are being thoroughly investigated," the department said in a statement.
December 2021 - January 2022: Authorities search a home on Gilford Street in Manchester, New Hampshire, multiple times, which they said in a news release "is a focus of the investigation because it is the last location where Harmony was known to reside before her disappearance in 2019."
Jan. 4, 2022: Harmony's father, Adam Montgomery, is arrested on charges including failing to have Harmony in his custody. He pleaded not guilty.
Jan. 5, 2022: Adam Montgomery's wife, Harmony's stepmother, is arrested, and accused of welfare fraud for allegedly collecting food stamps for the girl even though she was no longer living with the couple. She pleaded not guilty.
Jan. 8, 2022: Speaking first to NBC10 Boston, in her first public comments since the mysterious disappearance, Sorey had this message for her 7-year-old girl: "Hi, baby. If you can see me and hear me, I want you to know that I never stopped looking for you and I won't stop fighting until I find you, okay? You stay strong and mommy's right here fighting for you. I love you!"
Jan. 9, 2022: Police investigate at the home on Gilford Street where Harmony was last known to have lived in Manchester for a second straight day.
Investigators brought specialty equipment to the home as part of the ongoing investigation into Harmony’s disappearance. A ground heater was seen parked in the home’s driveway; machinery typically used during winter months to help thaw soil. Crime tape sealed off the sides of the home that lead to the backyard.
Jan. 10, 2022: Manchester police said the multi-day search at the Gilford Street home was complete, and offered no additional details on what, if anything, was found, citing the ongoing investigation.
Jan. 11, 2022: Court documents show prosecutors plan to drop a welfare fraud charge against Harmony's stepmother, Kayla Montgomery, for collecting food stamps in her name and replace it with nine other charges, including theft. The amount of reward money on offers for information leading to the girl has reached $100,000 through donations.
Jan. 12, 2022: New documents reveal Harmony's biological mother’s emailed pleas for help in getting answers about her daughter’s whereabouts. Sorey begged for help in emails with the subject line, “my daughter is missing/in danger and dcyf wont help."
Police reports obtained by NBC10 Boston show 29 calls for service to the Gilford Street home where Harmony was last known to live between 2018 and 2020, including domestic incidents involving Adam Montgomery, Kayla Montgomery and other adults in the home.
Jan. 24, 2022: The New Hampshire Attorney General's Office said the investigation to date has narrowed the window of Harmony's disappearance to a period of under two weeks in 2019- Nov. 29 of 2019 and Dec. 10 of 2019.
March 24, 2022: The girlfriend of Harmony's father, Kelsey Small, was found dead. Police do not consider it suspicious.
March 25, 2022: Adam and Kayla Montgomery are indicted on charges initially brought against them in January.
Adam Montgomery is indicted on a charge of second-degree assault for allegedly knowingly causing bodily injury to Harmony by striking her in the face. He was arrested on Jan. 4 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 his daughter.
Kayla Montgomery is indicted on one charge of theft by deception, alleging that she lied last year that Harmony was in her household to claim food stamp benefits exceeding $1,500.
April 2, 2022: Dozens of volunteers gather early on a Saturday morning to privately search a wooded area off of Second Street in Manchester. According to family members, the area is known to Harmony's father.
April 4, 2022: Authorities announce that Adam Montgomery is facing a series of gun charges related to a theft dating back to 2019.
April 6, 2022: Adam Montgomery was due back in court, facing a series of gun charges, but waived his arraignment.
April 7, 2022: NBC10 Boston learns the State of New Hampshire offered Kayla Montgomery a plea deal, as the welfare fraud case pans out in court, but her defense attorney says they aren't even close to striking a deal.
April 12, 2022: Authorities announce that Kayla Montgomery is charged with two counts of receiving stolen property related to a gun theft that took place in September or October of 2019.
May 4, 2022: A report concludes that Massachusetts officials did not consider the well-being of Harmony Montgomery "on an equal footing" with her parents' rights before releasing her into the custody of her father.
In the results of its investigation, the state Office of the Child Advocate said a lack of focus on Montgomery's needs compared to the rights of her parents, Adam Montgomery and Crystal Sorey, resulted in "significant placement instability for Harmony."
May 6, 2022: Kayla Montgomery is released on bail. She had been held on $5,000 bail since January, when she was arraigned on a welfare fraud charge.
"It's clear that she doesn't care about Harmony," Crystal Sorey, told NBC10 Boston in an exclusive interview. "She doesn't care to let anybody know where Harmony is."
June 4, 2022: Authorities confirm that Kayla Montgomery was taken back into custody by Manchester Police on perjury charges, for allegedly lying to a grand jury.
June 6, 2022: Kayla Montgomery waives her arraignment on the perjury charges. Bail is set at $5,000 and she is not allowed to leave the state.
June 14, 2022: A major police search is conducted at the former home of Adam and Kayla Montgomery. Officials don't reveal any new details about the search or investigation.
June 28, 2022: Adam Montgomery is indicted on eight new charges. He is now facing new gun and theft charges, including two charges of armed career criminal, which carry a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years. He's not charged in Harmony's disappearance. He has been in jail since January and could go on trial as soon as November.
Aug. 11, 2022: Attorney General John M. Formella announced that investigators believe that Harmony was murdered in Manchester in 2019. Her remains have not been found, but there is biological evidence of the crime, authorities said.
