A 7 year old girl mysteriously disappears The story of five-year-old Harmony Montgomery, a Caucasian female, is a tragic tale of a life cut short by violence and a system that failed to protect her. Her death in Manchester, New Hampshire, on or about December 7, 2019, was the culmination of a period of abuse at the hands of her father, Adam Montgomery. At the time of her death, Harmony, her father, her stepmother Kayla Montgomery, and their two other young children were living out of a car after being evicted from their home.
The final, fatal assault occurred after Harmony had a bathroom accident in the vehicle. In a fit of rage, Adam Montgomery repeatedly struck his daughter in the head with his fist. After the assault, Harmony began making a moaning noise for about five minutes before falling silent. It wasn't until their car broke down later that they realized she had died.
Following Harmony's death, a grim and protracted effort to conceal the crime began. Adam Montgomery placed his daughter's lifeless body into a duffel bag. For months, he moved the remains from one location to another as the family's living situation remained unstable. The duffel bag containing Harmony's body was kept in the trunk of a car, sometimes left in the snow, and later moved to a ceiling vent in a homeless shelter and even a walk-in freezer at Adam Montgomery's workplace. This gruesome concealment continued until March 2020, when he disposed of her remains, which have never been found. Harmony was not officially reported missing until late 2021, nearly two years after she was last seen alive.
The investigation into Harmony's disappearance eventually led to the arrest of her father, Adam Montgomery. He was charged with second-degree murder, falsifying physical evidence, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with witnesses. His estranged wife, Kayla Montgomery, was also arrested and initially charged with welfare fraud for collecting food stamps on Harmony's behalf after her death. She later pleaded guilty to perjury for lying to a grand jury and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors, becoming the key witness against her husband. Kayla testified that she lied out of fear of Adam, who she said had been abusive towards her. In February 2024, Adam Montgomery was found guilty of second-degree murder and the other charges against him. He was subsequently sentenced to 45 years to life in prison for the murder, in addition to a sentence for unrelated gun charges. Kayla Montgomery was granted parole in March 2024 after serving time for her perjury conviction.
