Harmony Montgomery's mom asks court to declare daughter legally dead to pursue wrongful death claims
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CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE: Harmony Montgomery's biological mother has appealed to declare her 5-year-old daughter legally dead, intending to sue the state of New Hampshire for wrongful death.
Crystal Sorey urged the court to declare Harmony legally deceased and name her as the executor of her estate during a probate court hearing this week in Nashua.
Harmony Montgomery's father found guilty of second-degree murder
Adam Montgomery, Harmony's father, was found guilty of second-degree murder, which is the basis for Sorey's appeal to declare Harmony dead. During his trial, Adam Montgomery acknowledged mistreating Harmony's remains but he insisted that he didn't get rid of her and didn't know where she was.
Little Harmony was reported missing in 2021, nearly two years after her death. "I’m just Harmony’s voice. I’m her warrior, basically," Sorey remarked outside the court, as reported by Crime Online.
Sorey went on to say, “It’s hard to come and have to say that she’s legally deceased. It’s hard to come to terms with it. Justice is only halfway there and we’re still focused on looking for her.”
On November 18, 2021, Sorey called the police to report her daughter missing. Sorey informed the police that Adam was the girl's physical guardian and that she was unable to contact him.
Sorey continued, "Drug problems caused me to lose custody of Harmony in 2018." According to Sorey, Adam Montgomery prevented her from speaking with Harmony after Easter 2019 and blocked her from using social media.
New Hampshire police search for Adam Montgomery
In an attempt to find Adam, New Hampshire police contacted the New Hampshire Department of Children's Services; however, as of December 27, 2021, the organization was unable to locate Adam.
When authorities discovered that Harmony "had not been physically seen since October/November 2019," they started looking for Adam Montgomery.
Montgomery was convicted in February 2024 by a Hillsborough County Superior Court jury of second-degree murder, second-degree assault, fabricating evidence, mistreating a corpse, and interfering with witnesses.
Prosecutors used evidence during the two-week trial to demonstrate that Adam assaulted Harmony, consumed opioids, and then placed a Burger King order while she lay dying in the back seat of his vehicle.
Adam kept her body hidden for several months. He crammed her into a cooler first, then a duffel bag. A while later, he rented a U-Haul truck and dumped Harmony's body outside of Boston.
Adam remained silent for almost two years after that, saying he had given Harmony back to her birth mother and had not hurt her. He declined to appear in court during the murder trial.
"He didn’t show up to anything. So, it’s only right he shows up to find out how long he’s getting. You think he would do one good thing for Harmony,” Sorey said.
