The biological mother of Harmony Montgomery requested a judge to declare her daughter legally deceased, with plans to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the state of New Hampshire.
In a probate court hearing in Nashua this week, Crystal Sorey urged the court to recognize Harmony as legally dead and to appoint her as the administrator of her estate.
Sorey’s basis for considering Harmony deceased stems from the conviction of the victim’s father, Adam Montgomery, for second-degree murder. During his trial last month, Adam admitted to mistreating Harmony’s remains but claimed that he didn’t dispose of her and doesn’t know where she is.
Harmony is believed to have been killed almost two years before being reported missing in 2021.
“I’m just Harmony’s voice. I’m her warrior, basically,” Sorey said outside court, according to Boston 25.
“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.”
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Harmony was officially reported missing in December 2021, although she has not been seen alive since 2019.
Police received a call from Sorey on November 18, 2021, who claimed her daughter was missing. Sorey told police that Adam had physical custody of the girl and she couldn’t get in touch with him.
Sorey added that she lost custody of Harmony in 2018 due to drug issues. Adam Montgomery, according to Sorey, blocked her calls and blocked her from social media, and didn’t allow her to speak to Harmony after Easter 2019.
New Hampshire police reached out to the New Hampshire Department of Children’s Services to locate Adam, but by December 27, 2021, the agency couldn’t find him. Police began searching for Adam Montgomery when they learned that Harmony “had not been physically seen since October/November 2019.”
In February 2024, jurors at the Hillsborough County Superior Court found Montgomery guilty of second-degree murder, second-degree assault, falsifying evidence, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with witnesses.
Throughout the two-week trial, prosecutors presented evidence that showed Montgomery beat Harmony, took opioids, and then ordered food at Burger King while she succumbed to her injuries in the back seat of his car.
Upon realizing her death, Montgomery concealed her body for months. He stuffed her into a duffel bag and then a cooler. He later rented a U-Haul truck and discarded the victim’s body somewhere outside of Boston.
For nearly two years after, he said nothing and denied harming her, claiming that he returned Harmony to her biological mother.
During the murder trial, he refused to appear in court.
“He didn’t show up to anything. So, it’s only right he shows up to find out how long he’s getting,” Sorey said. “You think he would do one good thing for Harmony.”
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast. Listen to a previous episode on the case below.
[Feature Photo: Harmony Montgomery/Facebook]
