A heartbreaking update to the case of missing girl Harmony Montgomery…

In case you need a refresher, in late 2019 the then 5-year-old was last seen in the city of Manchester, New Hampshire. She wouldn’t be reported missing until 2 years later in December 2021. A series of administrative errors involving state payments for Harmony to her birth parents — Adam Montgomery and his estranged wife Kayla Montgomery — made it so police weren’t aware until it was too late until it was too late.

Both parents were arrested early this year, but on fraud charges unrelated to Harmony’s disappearance. Law enforcement raided the home in which they once resided in June — removing most notably a refrigerator — which former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer told The Sun the same month is usually a move to “maintain biological evidence”:

“If they found a body or body parts in a freeze, law enforcement would want to maintain the level of decomposition. I have a really creepy feeling about this. It’s not good.”

So awful…

And now it would seem there’s finally an answer to the world’s question: what happened to the little girl? Attorney General John M. Formella announced in a press conference on Monday that Adam has been arrested and charged with the murder of his daughter. Authorities believe the 32-year-old punched Harmony in the head with a closed fist repeatedly, beating her to death “on or about December 7, 2019”. He alleged in the conference Adam “purposely altered, destroyed, concealed or removed” his daughter’s body sometime between December 2019 and March 2020.

Just sickening. The last thing anyone wanted to hear…

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According to legal documents by the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families, the girl was bounced between her mother’s care and the department for most of her life. She was officially placed in custody of her father in 2019, even though his brother recently revealed Montgomery was physically abusive to the girl in the past — recalling how he “bashed her around the house” in summer 2019 for causing her baby brother to cry when she was supposed to be watching him. He also made her stand in the corner for hours and scrub the toilet with a toothbrush. The decision to place her in the care of her allegedly abusive father would lead to the alleged murder. So sad…

The dad is being charged with second degree murder, falsifying physical evidence, abuse of corpse, and tampering with witnesses or informants. Unrelated to his daughter’s death, he’s being charged with felony theft and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He’s expected to be arraigned on the charges on Tuesday. Harmony’s remains have sadly yet to be found.

At the end of the press conference on Monday, AG Formella sent his condolences to the family:

“Today, I do want to again express my deepest sympathies to Harmony’s family, friends and loved ones. We understand that today’s news, while significant for purposes of this investigation, is yet another difficult moment for those who loved Harmony and those who have followed this case.”

Such a gut-wrenching outcome… We were all hoping she’d be found safe…

Our hearts are with Harmony’s family and loved ones right now. May she rest in peace and be brought justice.

[Image via Manchester Police Department/YouTube/CBS Boston]