Deceased/Not Found NH - Harmony Montgomery, 7, Manchester, Oct 2019 *reported missing Dec 2021* Arrest* MEDIA ONLY

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“My gut tells me right now that the biggest break of the system wasn’t just about Massachusetts or just about New Hampshire. It’s really about the transfer of information across states,” Sununu said at a press conference, The Globe reported.

“At least, on a preliminary review, that’s clearly where the system had the most trouble. And that doesn’t put blame on one side or the other. I think all 50 states really need to work better and develop better systems, in conjunction with one another, and in partnership, to ensure the welfare of the children that may be crossing borders.”
Gov. Sununu says failures in state child welfare agencies caused Harmony Montgomery to be placed with her father
 
FEB 16, 2022
Harmony Montgomery update: Information about review coming soon (wmur.com)
[...]

Attorney General John Formella confirmed that by next week, parts of the review approved by the state Department of Justice will be made public.

In Manchester, police chief Allen Aldenberg hosted a Facebook Live stream on Wednesday and fielded questions about bail reform and speeding on Maple Street, but most of the questions were about Harmony Montgomery.

“We're working it around the clock. And when I say that, that is true and it's sincere. The case remains a top priority for everybody working the case. Hopefully we'll be able to provide some updates here in the near future,” Aldenberg said.

[...]

harmony-montgomery-new-pics-1643306302.png
 
FEB 18, 2022
25 Investigates: Gov. Baker wants budget, policy changes in response to Harmony Montgomery case – Boston 25 News
[...]

On Friday, the Baker- Polito administration proposed $50 million dollars in a supplemental budget for recruitment, training, and compensation of guardians ad litem {GAL} within Massachusetts Courts.

In a written statement, Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders said Harmony’s case makes it clear children who come before the courts need better support.

“With this funding, we take a step in the right direction to ensuring children have a voice in the courtroom that is advocating singularly for their best interests and well-being at all times throughout the court proceedings,” wrote Sudders.

[...]

The Baker-Polito administration is also suggesting a policy change so that a guardian ad litem is appointed in every alleged abuse and neglect case that goes through the Massachusetts juvenile court.

[...]
 
FEB 21, 2022
Mystery in the Mountains: The search for Harmony Montgomery continues | Local 22/44 News (mychamplainvalley.com)
The search for a missing New Hampshire seven-year-old girl is about to stretch into its third month. No one’s seen Harmony Montgomery in more than two years. She was last seen in October of 2019 and Police have been searching since the start of 2022.

“Somebody out there has seen this child,” said the New Hampshire DCYF Director, Joe Ribsam.

[...]

Stacey Pearson a New England-based expert in Child Safety said there are signs to look forward to identifying if a child is in danger.

[...]

Pearson said the COVID-19 pandemic has created a lot of challenges, including how teachers can check in on their students.

“You know you can see if the child’s hygiene is failing or that they’re safe, like a safe environment at home.”

[...]
 
FEB 21, 2022
Adopted father of Harmony Montgomery's brother pleads with girls' father for answers | Fox News
[...]

He’s only five, and his parents haven’t explained to him the extent of the uncertainty around his sister’s whereabouts, Miller said. On Valentine’s Day last week, Jamison told his parents he wanted to send her chocolates.

"Maybe someone else is gonna read that letter and think, ‘I do know something, I was there at that house and saw something,’ and maybe that’ll mean something to somebody," Miller said. "So this really wasn’t just a letter to Adam, it’s a letter to help open up any clues or help the investigation."

[...]

"The U.S. Marshals stopped by our house a couple of weeks ago and brought [Jamison] some patches and a Care Bear, and they just sat with him," Miller said. "They told him, if you need anything from us, give us a call. The problem with that is that he's been trying to use Alexa and call 911 to talk with his friends – but it was very it was such a nice gesture, and they were just trying to show their support for him."

[...]

"We still have hope," Miller said. "We see everyone else losing hope, and we still have hope. We have to, for our son. Because that’s what he would expect from us."
 
FEB 22, 2022
Police chief records PSA asking for tips in search for Harmony Montgomery (wmur.com)
[...]

Manchester police Chief Allen Aldenberg has recorded a radio public service announcement asking for information. Police said officials at the radio station saw a WMUR story with Aldenberg in January and felt compelled to help.

[...]

Aldenberg said he has never done a PSA in his career, but this case and this situation are extraordinary.

"A 7-year-old girl is out there. She needs our help," he said. "Not just the police department's help. She needs the community to rally and help us find this little girl."

[...]

There are still three dozen officers working the case for the Manchester Police Department.

"Every day we come in, we're 100% focused on finding Harmony and bringing some closure to this case," Aldenberg said.

[...]

 
FEB 23, 2022
Sudders ties new guardian outlay to Harmony Montgomery case – WHDH 7News
Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders linked a $50 million outlay in the supplemental budget the Baker administration filed last week to the case of missing child Harmony Montgomery and other children who become involved with the state court system.

The $2.4 billion spending bill (H 4479) that Gov. Charlie Baker filed on Friday includes $50 million to recruit, train and pay guardian ad litems within the Massachusetts court system and a policy proposal to mandate the appointment of a guardian ad litem in every alleged child abuse or neglect case that works through the Juvenile Court.

[...]

$50 million planned to better protect kids in state custody | WBUR News
"While all children in the custody of the Department of Children and Families are assigned an attorney by the court, the Harmony Montgomery case makes clear the imperative need to improve and build upon supports for children that come before the courts," Sudders said in a statement after Baker filed the bill. "With this funding, we take a step in the right direction to ensuring children have a voice in the courtroom that is advocating singularly for their best interests and well-being at all times throughout the court proceedings."

NH Public Radio on Twitter
A question is asked about updates regarding Harmony Montgomery. The governor says something will be released at the end of this week.
3:31 PM · Feb 23, 2022·Twitter Web App
 
FEB 25, 2022
In Wake Of Missing Child, NH Officials Suggest Policy Changes | Concord, NH Patch
While the search for a missing New Hampshire girl is ongoing, state officials have released a seven-page report offering changes that should be made to ensure more children in distressed homes do not fall through the cracks.

New Report On Harmony Montgomery’s Disappearance Identifies Missed Opportunities – CBS Boston (cbslocal.com)
In the summer of 2019, New Hampshire DCYF was notified that Harmony, who was then 5 years old, had a black eye given to her by her father.

Child protection workers visited the home on three occasions. In one instance they were told Harmony was hit with a toy lightsaber during horseplay. The complaint was closed a few months later.

And in maybe the most critical moment in 2019, when Harmony’s father told DCYF that Harmony now lived with her mother, a worker called Crystal Sorey to confirm – but she never called back, and there is no record that the worker ever tried to call again.

COMPREHENSIVE UPDATE ON THE ONGOING CASE INVOLVING HARMONY MONTGOMERY AND RECOMMENDED SYSTEMATIC IMPROVEMENTS:
harmony-montgomery-update-recommendations.pdf (nh.gov)
 
FEB 25, 2022
Internal review of New Hampshire’s handling on Harmony Montgomery’s case released – Boston 25 News
[...]
  • DCYF first became aware of Harmony’s presence in the state in July 2019 after an anonymous call about a black eye on the little girl allegedly inflicted by her father.
  • July 29, 2019 a social worker visits the Montgomery home to investigation the claim. The worker interacts with Harmony and her father briefly as the two are getting into a car
  • During a second visit in August 2019 a social worker notices a red mark and some bruising in Harmony’s eye. During their conversation, Harmony and father said it happened “during horseplay with another sibling.”
  • October 2019, DCYF determined physical abuse allegations related to the black eye to be “unfounded” and said the children in the household were “happy and healthy.”
  • January of 2020, after a complaint regarding the family to DCYF, a social worker visited the home and noticed Harmony’s absence. Her father, Adam, told the worker that she was “residing with her mother, Crystal.”
  • January and March of 2021, additional calls regarding the Montgomery family are received by DCYF and again workers notice Harmony is absent.
  • September 2021, a call is received by DCYF claiming that Harmony’s mother hasn’t seen her daughter in over a year. DCYF makes several attempts to locate her, including checking with NH schools where she should have been registered.
  • Believing Harmony and her family moved to an unknown location, DCYF enlists the help of Manchester PD in their effort to find them in November of 2021.
  • The DCYF investigation changed to a missing child case on December 31, when Manchester PD announced her disappearance.
[...]
 
FEB 25, 2022
Review: Claim Harmony Montgomery had a black eye unfounded – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News
Months before a 5-year-old New Hampshire girl disappeared in 2019, a child protective services worker visited her home and concluded that an allegation that the girl received a black eye was unfounded, according to a review released Friday through Gov. Chris Sununu’s office.

[...]

Following the case worker’s July 2019 visit, the family of Harmony Montgomery was “identified as high risk of repeat child welfare system involvement” and was given referrals for housing supports, Friday’s review said.

[...]
 
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FEB 25, 2022
New report says N.H. child protection workers failed to locate Harmony Montgomery after a 2020 home visit | New Hampshire Public Radio (nhpr.org)
[,,,]

The report says a child protection worker visited the home where Harmony previously lived with her father and stepmother, Adam and Kayla Montgomery, for a call unrelated to Harmony in January 2020. Harmony was not present, as she had been during prior DCYF visits; the report says Adam Montgomery told the child protection worker that Harmony was living with her mother instead. However, the report suggests that DCYF failed to make sure that was true.

While DCYF attempted to call Harmony’s mother, Crystal Sorey, to confirm that Harmony was living with her, they struggled to make contact. According to the report, “Sorey never returned the call and there is no evidence in the record of any additional attempts to contact her.” State officials did not answer questions from NHPR about why DCYF did not make more of an effort to connect with Sorey to verify Harmony’s location.

DCYF received two more reports about the Montgomery household, not involving Harmony, in January and March 2021.

"When the [child protective service worker] inquired about Harmony Montgomery, Adam Montgomery stated again that she was still living with her mother, Crystal Sorey, and that he had not seen her in a year," the report said. It's unclear whether the state took any additional steps to reach out to Sorey at that time.

The new report also reveals that, while New Hampshire authorities first announced Harmony’s disappearance in December 2021, DCYF received notice that she wasn’t with her mother — as they had been previously told — three months earlier.

The report says that DCYF received a call from a close contact of Harmony’s mother in September 2021, stating that Harmony’s mother had not seen her for nearly two years. From there, the report says DCYF attempted to locate Harmony, her father and her stepmother. The Manchester Police Department got involved in the search in November 2021, and authorities didn’t announce that Harmony was missing until December 31, when they made contact with her father.

[...]
 
FEB 28, 2022
DCYF presents new strategic plan in wake of girl's disappearance (wmur.com)
he New Hampshire Division of Children, Youth and Families is presenting its new strategic plan, days after a report issued recommendations in the wake of the disappearance of a 7-year-old Manchester girl.

DCYF director Joe Ribsam presented the plan to an advisory board Monday. Not on the agenda was a recent report outlining the agency's role in the case of Harmony Montgomery, a 7-year-old girl who was last seen in November 2019 but not reported missing for two years.

Some of that report's recommendations are already included in the DCYF plan. The report recommends modernizing the case management system, and the DCYF plan includes updating and improving technology.

The plan also recommends adding and retaining staff at the Manchester district office and getting confirmation of the whereabouts of every child known to a household.

[...]
 
FEB 28, 2022
25 Investigates: Nearly a dozen kids in DCF custody are missing or unaccounted for, data shows – Boston 25 News
The chief’s voice trembled as he announced the disappearance of little Harmony Montgomery, a sign of just how heartbreaking and shocking her story is.

“Somewhere out there this little girl is in need of help,” he told a roomful of reporters, pointed to a picture of a little girl with blue eyes and blonde hair.

[...]

A precept is a court order for law enforcement or DCF to go out and search for a missing kid and bring that child before a judge to be identified, explained Craven. She also said most precepts get resolved fairly quickly.

According to the data provided to 25 Investigates by the Trial Court, a total of 612 precepts were issued between 2019 and 2021. In 2019, there were 256; the following year, 170 precepts were issued; and in 2021 there were 186.

Of those, 11 are still outstanding – 4 from 2020 and 7 from 2021. All of the outstanding precepts are for teenagers – 3 are 16-years-old and 8 are 17-years-old.

[...]
 
MAR 4, 2022
Dispositional conference hearing held in Adam Montgomery case (wmur.com)
[...]

Adam Montgomery was not in the courtroom for Friday's hearing.

[...]

Both sides will need additional time to review evidence in the case, which continues to build over time.

"There is some discovery, quite a bit of discovery still outstanding as it’s literally being generated on a daily basis, and for the same reason, the state at this point has not made a plea offer, just because as the investigation continues, we don’t want to make a plea offer without a full knowledge of what this investigation may reveal," O'Neill said.

Prosecutors said indictments against Adam Montgomery are scheduled to be presented before a grand jury in a couple of weeks.

The next hearing in the case will be a dispositional conference held on June 28.
 
MAR 9, 2022
Changes called for DCYF, HHS in wake of Harmony Montgomery case (wmur.com)
Executive Councilor Ted Gatsas highlighted a recently released report of the Harmony Montgomery case as a reason to separate the Division for Children, Youth and Families from the Department of Health and Human Services.

The agency currently falls under the umbrella of DHHS.

During Wednesday afternoon's executive council meeting, Gatsas told Gov. Chris Sununu that after reading the report, he felt that there is not enough oversight of DCYF with DHHS at the helm. Gatsas said the division may do better work as an independent agency.

[...]
 
MAR 12, 2022
Harmony Montgomery supporters gather, keep her name out there (wmur.com)
A group gathered Saturday evening at Stark Park in Manchester to raise awareness for Harmony Montgomery, the 7-year-old missing since late 2019.

[...]

July 2018
Crystal Sorey, mother of Harmony Montgomery, loses custody of her daughter in Massachusetts. Sorey later tells police she lost custody because of drug addiction issues, and Harmony was placed in a foster home in Haverhill.
46936921_1646248783075.png


[...]

February 2019
Harmony's father, Adam Montgomery, is granted legal custody of the girl by a family court judge in Lawrence, Massachusetts. DCYF officials are notified of the custody decision before it receives the additional information it requested for the home study.

[...]

More key dates in the article.
 
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