NH police chief makes emotional plea at Harmony Montgomery briefing

In an emotional Monday press conference announcing that the father of a missing New Hampshire 5-year-old would be charged with beating her to death, Manchester’s chief of police had a plea to the public, delivered with a breaking voice.

“Do something nice for a child today,” Chief Allen Aldenberg said. “Just take a few moments out of your day to say something nice to a child. Give him or her a hug, some special words of encouragement, give them an extra hug, or just simply tell them that you love them and will always protect them.”

Aldenberg and New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella announced Monday that Adam Montgomery, 32, would face a murder charge in connection with his young daughter Harmony’s death. The New Hampshire girl has been missing since late 2019, though her disappearance was not reported for roughly two years after.

• Read more: Adam Montgomery tried to get his wife to lie about his daughter’s death, officials say

Investigators believe Montgomery battered his daughter with a closed fist, killing her, in early Dec. 2019. In addition to a count of second-degree murder, he will face three other charges, including witness tampering for a suspected attempt to pressure his wife, Kayla — Harmony’s stepmother — into concealing the girl’s death.

Taking the podium at the Manchester press conference Monday afternoon, Aldenberg was visibly affected by the weight of the announcement as he thanked detectives for their work over a 10-month investigation.

“Everyone single one of you has been the voice of Harmony and seeking justice for her...” Aldenberg said before his voice broke, and he slapped the podium as he fought to regain his composure, “...has been your single motivation and number one priority for the past 10 months.”

The investigation into Harmony’s disappearance has drawn significant public attention since police first made a public plea for information on her whereabouts in the final days of 2021. On the police department’s social media page, thousands of people reacted to the news that Montgomery would face a murder charge.

“I’m certain that the charges that we’ve brought forward today will garner additional discussion, speculation, and undoubtedly will elicit a wide range of emotions from the public,” Aldenberg said Monday. “I ask that in memory of Harmony, we all make every effort to do something nice for a child today.”

“I know of no other way...” he continued, before an exhale and a long pause. “I know of no other way to respect and honor this innocent and defenseless child than to extend an act of kindness to another child in her memory.”

• Read more: Brother’s adoptive father blames state for Harmony Montgomery’s death

Police first became aware that Harmony might be missing when they received a call from the girl’s mother, Crystal Sorey, last November, who had been unsuccessfully trying to locate the girl for months.

Investigators contacted Adam Montgomery and other family members by the end of December, they said, and told him and Kayla that Harmony had not been seen in more than two years and there was concern over whether she was still alive.

The couple told police that they brought Harmony to be with her mother in Massachusetts around Thanksgiving 2019. Her mother said she last saw her daughter during a phone video conversation around Easter that year.

Kayla Montgomery is also facing charges related to her step-daughter’s well-being.

The decision to entrust Adam Montgomery with his daughter’s care — based on concerns over her mother’s struggle with substance use — has been repeatedly questioned and investigated since her disappearance. A 100-page report from the Massachusetts Office of the Child Advocate, released in May, found Harmony’s needs, well-being and safety were “not prioritized” in considering her custody placement.

Child protection officials in New Hampshire made multiple visits to the Montgomery residence in Manchester in the months after Harmony was placed in her father’s care. At least one report claimed abuse of Harmony.