[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
It seems like the Harmony Montgomery case is finally heading towards a close…
We’re sure you’re already aware, but in case you need a refresher, Harmony was a 5-year-old girl from the city of Manchester, New Hampshire who was last seen in late 2019. It would take TWO years for anyone to report her missing, and following a series of administrative errors involving state payments to her birth parents Adam and Kayla Montgomery, police weren’t even aware of what was going on until it was tragically too late.
Officials raided the family’s home in summer 2022 and removed several potential pieces of evidence — including a refrigerator — which a former FBI agent told The Sun at the time was a move to “maintain biological evidence” after both parents were arrested that same year on unrelated charges. But by then, they had reason to suspect something more horrifying. They believed Adam was the one who murdered her by “beating her to death” with a closed fist in late 2019. He was charged with abuse of a corpse, falsifying physical evidence, and tampering with witnesses. He was indicted by a grand jury on charges of second degree murder this past January, as well, but news on the case stayed quiet for a while… until now.
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Court documents obtained by the outlet on Tuesday are finally giving the world some answers as to what actually happened to Harmony Montgomery, and the story is more horrifying than anyone originally thought…
The legal docs tell the story of how Adam, Kayla, and their two children were living in their Chrysler Sebring after they got evicted from their apartment in 2019. On several occasions, Adam became enraged with his 5-year-old daughter because she wasn’t telling anyone when she needed to use the bathroom, leading to her having accidents and wetting herself in the car. This is what led the man to allegedly striking and killing her with a closed fist.
His estranged wife told investigators in December of 2019 that while her husband was driving prior, she had another accident, and that’s when he struck her. She said Adam felt or heard something when he hit her for the last time, and allegedly said:
“I think I really hurt her this time. I think I did something.”
Gut-wrenchingly, no one helped the poor girl, and she was left making moaning noises in the back seat for about five minutes before all her noises — and her breathing — stopped. Police said in the affidavit:
“At no time did anyone stop or get Harmony medical attention as the result of this assault.”
So, so awful! And from there, things only got worse…
Allegedly, the parents didn’t know until 8 or 9 a.m. the next day that their daughter hadn’t survived — they didn’t even check on her until their Chrysler broke down! This is when, Kayla claims, Adam grabbed an Under Armour duffel bag and stuffed his daughter’s body in it. After this, they moved her body around with them as they changed locations several times.
A family friend came to the rescue after their car broke down, and drove them out to his apartment where he let them live in his Audi. Per reports, they stayed in the car for up to three days with Harmony’s body in the trunk.
After this, the accusations state, they moved in with Kayla’s mother and her mother’s boyfriend, and that’s where they hid Harmony’s body in the freezer. Then, in December, they went to a Families in Transition shelter — where it’s claimed they hid the duffel bag in the ceiling vents! Yes, they allegedly brought their daughter’s dead body to a shelter and hid it among all the residents! And at this point, Kayla recalled the decomposition setting in:
“Kayla stated that during this time, there was liquid coming from the bag containing Harmony’s dead body, and there was an odor. She said Adam placed a trash bag around the bag to keep it from leaking.”
So brutal and disgusting… Why wasn’t anyone raising alarms or reporting her missing?! Someone had to have noticed she was absent, as often as they were moving around!
They apparently moved her body a few more times, too. They used a plastic container to “push” the body from the shelter to their new apartment on Union Street in Manchester, then transferred the bag into another bag to keep it from leaking, before sealing it away in the refrigerator. At some point, Adam allegedly removed her body from the duffel and trash bags, and spent six hours putting it in a Catholic Medical Center maternity bag. Kayla said this new bag was much smaller, and Harmony never would’ve fit in it unless her body was “dismembered or grossly distorted.” After this, the maternity bag is said to have went in the freezer.
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And just when you thought it couldn’t get worse… Adam allegedly requested Kayla bring their deceased daughter’s body to his workplace — A RESTAURANT!
It’s said he kept the body locked away in the Portland Pie Company‘s walk-in freezer for a week before returning it home. Then, the claims continue, he decided to remove the body once again to “add lime” to help with decomposition. At this point, it just seems like these parents were playing with their daughter’s corpse! Just sickening…
It wasn’t until spring 2022 — a whole two and a half years after Harmony’s disappearance — Kayla says Adam rented a U-Haul and during a late night drive, he dumped the body in “an unknown destination.” She said he came back home early that morning, but never told her where he went.
Adam’s trial is set to begin in November, with Kayla being expected to testify against him. He pleaded not guilty, but with all the alleged evidence and Kayla’s testimony stacked against him, it’s going to be a tough case.
You can see more details on the case (below):
Our hearts break for what Harmony had to go through, even after her death. We can only hope she’s at peace now.
If you have sincere cause to suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org.
[Image via CBS Boston/YouTube]