Missing Harmony Montgomery Update: Father's Girlfriend Found Dead in Hotel Room

The body of 27-year-old Kelsey Small (pictured, right), who was living in a car with Adam Montgomery when he was arrested in connection to his daughter's disappearance on December 31, was discovered in a hotel room on March 13.

The cause of death has not been revealed, but police do not consider it suspicious.

While investigators had interviewed her regarding the 7-year-old's disappearance, she was not charged in the case or implicated in any way.

According to an affidavit obtained by Boston 25 News, she told detectives at the time she had been dating Adam for more than a year. She said she was aware he had four children with two women, but that he wasn't in touch with any of them.

She said he never mentioned Harmony, and she herself had no information on where the child might be.

According to WMUR, Small had been arrested outside a sober home where she was living and charged with DUI, second offense, on March 8, five days before she was found dead. She had been due in court next week.

"She was so much more than that, and I hate that one of her last connections here on Earth was to him," her cousin told the outlet.

Harmony's whereabouts remain unknown, and the case is still active.

Harmony Montgomery was living out of cars with her father, stepmother and two step-siblings when she vanished, police have claimed.

In the latest update to the baffling case on Monday, investigators narrowed down the time of her disappearance to a 13-day window.

They believe the then-five-year-old went missing between November 28 and December 10, 2019.

The day before, on November 27, Adam and Kayla Montgomery, together with their two common children and Harmony, were evicted from their Gilford Street home in Manchester.

"Multiple individuals have reported seeing Harmony with Adam and Kayla in the following days," police said. "However, by approximately December 6 – 10, 2019, Adam and Kayla apparently had only their two common children, and Harmony was no longer with them."

"This information leads police to believe that it was sometime during this window of approximately November 28 – December 10, 2019, that Harmony Montgomery disappeared."

Witnesses told detectives that during that time, Adam, Kayla, and the children were homeless and living out of cars; a silver 2010 Chrysler Sebring, and a dark blue 2006 Audi S4.

Police released stock photos of the two models, but pointed out the actual condition of the cars was "worse than depicted".

The timeline proposed by police contradicts what Adam told police, according to court documents, in which he claims the last time he saw his daughter was when he left her with her mother around Thanksgiving of 2019.

On Monday, Kayla Montgomery was arraigned on updated charges related to Harmony, but on fraud, not her disappearance: theft by deception, a Class A felony, and two misdemeanors. She is accused of collecting more than $1,500 in welfare benefits long after the child had vanished.

Assistant Attorney General Jesse O'Neill had argued she be denied bail, insinuating she is withholding information from investigators regarding Harmony's whereabouts.

But Judge Amy Messer said that while she was aware of the investigation into the disappearance, the issues before the court were regarding flight risk on the fraud charges alone, holding her on $5,000 bail, and permitting her release on personal recognizance, on the condition she complete a drug abuse treatment program. She is not allowed to have any contact with Adam Montgomery, either.

Meanwhile, the reward money for locating Harmony has swelled to $100,000, Boston.com reported.

"Manchester Police continue to request that anyone with information please call or text the 24-hour tip line dedicated to Harmony's rescue at 603-203-6060, in particular anyone who saw or interacted with Adam Montgomery, Kayla Montgomery, or the children during the time frame of approximately November 28 – December 10, 2019, or who saw either of the vehicles in question during that time," investigators appealed.

"Any information, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem, may contribute to the overall investigation."

Harmony Montgomery's father has been arrested — but his 7-year-old daughter is still missing.

Adam Montgomery, 31, was arrested on Tuesday in Manchester, pursuant to a warrant for one charge of felony second-degree assault against the child in 2019, Police Chief Allen D. Aldenberg announced.

He is also being held on one misdemeanor charge of interference with custody, and two misdemeanor charges of endangering the welfare of a child.

An arrest affidavit obtained by Daily Mail shows the assault charge is connected to the 2019 incident that left Harmony with a black eye; her uncle is quoted, claiming Adam admitted he "bashed her around this house" at the time.

The affidavit also alleges Harmony's father spanked her on the buttocks, forced her to stand in a corner for hours and make her scrub the toilet with her own toothbrush.

On Wednesday, Adam Montgomery's estranged wife Kayla Montgomery, who is not Harmony's mother and with whom he shares three other children, was arrested and charged with welfare fraud, for claiming $1,500 worth of food stamps in Harmony's name from December 2019 to June 2021:

According to Boston 25 News, Harmony was bounced between the care of her mother Crystal Sorey and Massachusetts Department of Children and Families for much of her young life.

Because of her mother's drug abuse, Adam Montgomery was granted custody of Harmony in February of 2019, despite a criminal record stretching back to 2007, with charges including armed robbery, stalking, and assault with intent to murder.

He served 18 months in prison for shooting a drug dealer in the face, pleading guilty in September of 2014 — just three months before Harmony was born.

Despite all this, he was deemed the safest person to take care of his then-five-year-old daughter.

"Custody of Harmony was returned to her father in February 2019. Once Harmony was returned to her father's care/custody, her involvement with the Department ended as she does not live in Massachusetts," the records state, per the outlet.

Meanwhile, the search for Harmony continues: thanks to further donations, the reward money for information has now increased to $60k.

A 7-year-old girl has been reported missing in New Hampshire more than two years after she was last seen.

Harmony Montgomery disappeared in October of 2019 — but Manchester Police Department only learned about it last week.

"The circumstances surrounding this prolonged absence are very concerning and are being thoroughly investigated," it said in a statement on Saturday. "Detectives from the Manchester Police Department have been investigating this matter non-stop since being made aware," adding that all available resources and personnel have now been dedicated to finding her.

On Monday, an emotional and frustrated-sounding Police Chief Allen D. Aldenberg appealed to the public to help track her down, while unable to share many details about the mysterious case:

He told reporters he had learned of the disappearance via a call from the DCYF (Department of Children, Youth and Families); he said calls like these were not abnormal, and that officers spoke with them every day. But when asked why such an obviously pressing matter had taken more than two years to be flagged, Aldenberg said it was a question he wanted answered himself.

"It's a question I've asked, that hopefully some point along this I get an answer to," he said, adding that this was also part of the investigation.

As it is not a criminal investigation, nor is there any evidence a crime has been committed, Aldenberg was forced to repeatedly rebuff any and all questions about the girl's parents; however when asked if they were the obvious people to ask about her whereabouts, he carefully agreed: "It seems like a reasonable conclusion to draw."

"I'll re-emphasize that we continue to communicate and speak with many, many family members," he said. "We're two years behind the power curve."

"Where Harmony should have been, and who she should have been with — she's not with them."

Over the weekend, police visited a home in Manchester where Harmony had once been seen. Chief Aldenberg emphasized that the current homeowner was not connected to the case, and had been fully cooperative.

Harmony is described as a 7-year-old white female, approximately 4 feet tall, 50lbs, with blonde hair, blue eyes, and glasses. She is blind in one eye. Detectives are operating on the assumption she is still alive.

She was last registered for school, at Kindergarten age, in Massachusetts, where her mother is from.

A dedicated tipline has been set up (603-203-6060) and a $2,500 reward for information offered, the maximum allowed. As the Chief pointed out, the department usually only offers rewards for crime tip, but a special exception had been made for this case. In addition, two local business owners had added $10,000 to the reward fund.

No Amber Alert has been issued because the police do not yet have enough information on a vehicle she might be in or persons she might be with. The FBI have not yet joined the hunt, but are standing by ready to do so should the investigation require.

"Somewhere out there this little girl is in need of help, and that's our job," Chief Aldenberg said.

Manchester PD officers were among the last to see Harmony, having responded to a call to a home the month she vanished. Aldenberg could reveal no details about the incident.

However, Harmony's father's uncle, Kevin Montgomery, told the Daily Beast he was there that day — and said his great-niece was terrified.

He said he had called the DCYF in July of 2019 after noticing Harmony had a black eye, but nothing ever came of it. Three months later, he said he called police to the house where his nephew — Harmony's father — and other family members lived, during an "intense" situation in which his nephew was allegedly trying to force his way inside the home.

During that situation, he said Harmony "looked like a scared puppy" and "was quiet, she wasn't saying much."

After that incident, Montgomery claimed Harmony's dad cut off communication with many family members and blocked them on social media.

"Then the pandemic hit, and I just assumed Harmony and that side of the family was ok," he told the outlet. "I was worried, of course, but assumed everything was ok because I had not heard anything."

Montgomery said he has been worried about Harmony's safety for years, and accepted the grim reality that he may "never see her alive again."

Harmony's mother Crystal Sorey, however certainly seems to think her daughter is alive, according to a since-deleted Facebook post, per the outlet.

"HARMONY MOMMYS COMING FOR YOU I PROMISE & I WILL NEVER LET YOU GO!!!! HANG ON BABY!!!!" she wrote, alongside pictures of the missing child.

According to The Washington Post, Harmony spent much of her early life in foster care in Massachusetts, where she looked after her younger brother, Jamison.

The younger boy was adopted by D.C.-based reporter Blair Miller and his husband in 2019, at which time state officials told them the older sister had been reunited with her father.

Miller told the publication that Jamison often talks about his sister, and recently said that a girl at a park reminded him of her. The adoptive parents said they have frequently asked the siblings' mother Crystal if Jamison could reconnect with his sister, only to be told she is in her father's custody in New Hampshire.

Miller said the mom frequently seemed worried about her daughter and her inability to get in touch with her. He said he also tried reaching out to Harmony's father on social media, but never heard back.