Officials ignored warning signs before the young girl's death at the hands of her father, the lawsuit says

MEREDITH, NH — Social workers in New Hampshire ignored a series of warning signs that a five-year-old girl had been physically abused by her father before the child's death, the slain girl's mother claimed in a negligence lawsuit filed against the state on Friday.

Crystal Sorey says the state Department of Children, Youth and Families did not respond to numerous reports from various people about Harmony Montgomery's well-being after father Adam Montgomery was awarded custody of the girl in February 2019.

Adam Montgomery was sentenced to at least 56 years in prison in May after being found guilty of murdering his daughter and moving her body around for months before disposing of it. Police believe he killed Harmony nearly two years before she was reported missing in 2021. Her body was never found.

The lawsuit details concerns raised by people about Harmony's well-being while under her father's care, including alleging that she returned from a trip to Florida with a black eye.

According to the lawsuit, Kevin Montgomery, the father's uncle, contacted the agency and told them Harmony had a “bright” black eye after being “punched with full force in the eye socket.” Adam also told him he “hurled” her against every wall in the house.

Kevin Montgomery also told the agency that he saw Harmony once scrubbing a bathroom with a toothbrush as punishment, and another time she was made to stand in a corner for five to eight hours, the lawsuit says.

Kevin Montgomery also reported concerns that the power had been turned off at his nephew's home and that he had found what appeared to be drug paraphernalia, the lawsuit says. The lawsuit says he became frustrated when he asked for a previous report and was told it was confidential, and was questioned by an agency employee about the accuracy of some of the data he provided.

“This is why children die,” Kevin Montgomery told the agency employee in frustration, the lawsuit states. He vowed to continue calling the agency every day until something was done, the lawsuit states.

According to the lawsuit, the agency also received concerning reports about the household from neighbors and others but failed to take appropriate action.

As a result of the agency's negligence, the lawsuit states, “Harmony was the victim of several isolated incidents of severe physical and emotional abuse and neglect, including, but not limited to, physical punishment, verbal and psychological abuse, beatings resulting in serious injury, and death.”

The lawsuit seeks a jury trial and unspecified damages.

Michael Garrity, a spokesman for the state's attorney general, said they would review the complaint and “respond accordingly.”

Adam Montgomery failed to appear for his hearing in February. Judge Amy Messer noted that he has an extensive criminal record dating back to 2008.

“Your extreme indifference to the value of human life is evident in so many of your actions,” she said.

At trial, Harmony's stepmother, Kayla Montgomery, testified that her family, including her two young sons with Adam Montgomery, had been evicted from their home and living in a car just before Thanksgiving 2019. She said that on Dec. 7, Adam Montgomery hit Harmony at several stoplights as they drove from a methadone clinic to a fast-food restaurant because he was angry that she was having bathroom accidents in the car.

The couple later discovered the girl was dead after the car broke down, Kayla Montgomery testified. She said her husband put the body in a duffel bag. She described several places where the girl's body was hidden, including the trunk of a car, a cooler, a ceiling vent at a homeless shelter and the walk-in freezer at her husband's workplace.

The mother, Sorey, said she last saw Harmony during a video call in April 2019. She later went to police, who announced on New Year's Eve 2021 that they were searching for the missing child.