Mother of murdered 5-year-old Harmony Montgomery receives .25 million award.

The mother of Harmony Montgomery, a five-year-old girl from New Hampshire whose tragic death was caused by her father, has been awarded .25 million in a negligence lawsuit against the state. Crystal Sorey filed the suit against the New Hampshire Division for Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) last year, alleging that social workers failed to identify the signs of physical abuse her daughter suffered while in the custody of her ex-husband, Adam Montgomery, starting in early 2019.

Harmony Montgomery’s case captured national attention after she disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Tragically, it took until 2021 before authorities were informed that she was missing. In the interim, a significant investigation commenced, but the search for Harmony continues, and her remains have yet to be located six years later. Investigators believe that her father murdered her shortly after her disappearance and then moved her body multiple times before finally disposing of it. In 2023, Adam Montgomery was convicted for her murder and sentenced to a minimum of 56 years in prison.

A report from Massachusetts’ Office of the Child Advocate indicated that Harmony had a tumultuous early life, frequently shifting in and out of foster care. In 2014, she was legally removed from her mother’s custody due to allegations of neglect. Following her father’s incarceration, Harmony was placed in a foster home but later returned to her mother on two occasions. Unfortunately, she was taken from her mother’s care again in January 2018 because of substance abuse issues, leading to her placement with her father, despite his documented violent background.

The recent settlement with Sorey did not require the state to admit any misconduct. This arrangement aligns with similar settlements reached by the state in the cases of two other murdered children. The family of Dennis Vaughan, allegedly killed by his grandmother in 2019, will receive .75 million, while the father of Elijah Lewis, murdered by his mother in 2021, will also receive .25 million.

New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella stated that these settlements were reached to prevent lengthy litigation and to provide a degree of closure for the families involved. He emphasized the state’s recognition of their profound loss and expressed hope that the settlements would bring some measure of peace to them during this heartbreakingly difficult time.