Harmony Montgomery’s stepmom says husband Adam killed her in 2019, weeks before ‘odor’ complaints, forcing her silence
A LITTLE girl was allegedly killed by her father more than two years before she was reported missing, according to recently filed court documents.
Kayla Montgomery told police during a June 3 interview that her estranged husband Adam Montgomery murdered his daughter Harmony in December 2019.
He then told her to lie about what happened, according to court documents reviewed by The U.S. Sun.
Kayla said Adam "encouraged her on multiple occasions to lie to police about Harmony’s whereabouts, basically using Kayla as a 'cover story.'"
He told her "that as long as she stuck to the cover story everything would be OK," the court documents state.
Adam allegedly beat Harmony - who was five at the time - to death "with a closed fist," and "purposely altered, destroyed, concealed or removed" the little girl's body and hid it, according to the charges.
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The alleged murder took place inside Adam and Kayla's Manchester, New Hampshire home at 77 Gilford St, according to court documents.
Police were called to that house more than a dozen times between January 2019 and January 2020, according to police reports obtained by The U.S. Sun through an open records request.
On January 12, 2021, police received calls from neighbors about a "foul odor."
The notes in one of the police reports said, "BUILDING IS VACANT. FRONT DOOR HAS BEEN KICKED IN. UNK (unknown) WHEN IT WAS KICKED IN. DIDN'T APPEAR TO BE ANYONE IN THERE BUT CALLER WASN'T SURE."
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Underneath was an update on the report.
"DOOR HAS NOT BEEN KICKED IN. LOOKS LIKE SOMEONE MOVED OUT AND THEY LEFT THE DOOR OPEN. ADAM MONTGOMERY (told police) THEY WERE JUST AIRING IT OUT. THERE WAS A VERY BAD ODOR."
On Monday, prosecutors and law enforcement announced Adam was arrested in connection with Harmony's death.
He was charged with second-degree murder, falsifying physical evidence, abuse of a corpse and witness tampering.
Adam was already being held in jail on lesser charges of child abuse, endangering the welfare of a child, weapon possession among other charges.
He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
ALLEGATIONS OF ABUSE
At the time of the January 4 interrogation, which Montgomery's defense team tried to suppress, he was facing a charge of interference with custody and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
Adam's brother, Michael, told police the 31-year-old was physically abusive to Harmony and gave her a black eye.
A detective then spoke to Adam's Uncle Kevin and asked him about Harmony’s eye injury.
According to court documents, Kevin said that Adam told him in July 2019 that Adam “bashed her [Harmony] around the house.”
Adam was allegedly angry at Harmony - who was five years old at the time - because she was supposed to be watching her infant brother but he started crying, which enraged her father.
The uncle also said Adam spanked his daughter, forced her to stand in the corner for hours, and ordered her to scrub a toilet with her toothbrush.
HARMONY'S DISAPPEARANCE
Harmony was last seen alive in October 2019. However, police were not aware of her disappearance until after Christmas in 2021.
According to records by the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families, Harmony bounced between her mother’s care and DCF for much of her young life.
The young girl was placed in her father's custody in 2019.
Harmony was living in squatter-like conditions at a messy home where neighbors reported multiple fights and possible child abuse, according to police reports obtained by The U.S. Sun through open records requests
Officers responded to the home at least 16 times between January 2019 and January 2020, according to the police reports.
There were verbal bouts between Adam and Kayla, fights between Adam and Harmony's uncle, "messy" home conditions, and concerns of child and animal abuse, the police reports said.
"Neighbor concerned about young child living at this address. Said she thinks the parents are squatting there and have no electricity, just a small generator. And there is trash everywhere. She is concerned for the child and asked that we check the condition."
That report was from August 5, 2019. Police and New Hampshire Department for Children, Youth and Families, which Harmony's biological mother ripped for not protecting her daughter, responded.
ADAM AND UNCLE FIGHT, HOUSE IS A MESS
On September 11, 2019, Manchester police officers on patrol broke up a fight outside the Gilford Street home between Adam and Kevin.
According to the police report, Adam accused Kevin and his wife of "barging their way in without his permission," and Kevin said they were trying to retrieve their belongings after moving to Florida.
The officers went in with Kevin and his wife and noticed "clutter in every room consisting of clothing and empty food containers," the report said.
"Adam told me although the power had been turned off several months ago due to nonpayment, he has a portable generator in the driveway which powers the refrigerator. I could see food in the cupboards and refrigerator.
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"I went upstairs where I contacted Adam's wife Kayla and the three children (names redacted). All three children appeared to be clean and fed. Their clothing was appropriate for the current conditions.
"Although this area was highly disheveled, it did not appear unsafe."
