Local News

Harmony Montgomery’s mother files wrongful death lawsuit against girl’s father

Adam Montgomery was sentenced to at least 56 years in prison for beating his young daughter Harmony to death in 2019.

Crystal Sorey, the mother of Harmony Montgomery, leaves Nashua Circuit Court last year. David Lane/Union Leader via AP

By Ross Cristantiello

July 30, 2025

2 minutes to read

The mother of Harmony Montgomery filed a lawsuit Monday against Adam Montgomery, the New Hampshire man who was convicted last year of beating their young daughter to death.

Harmony’s mother, Crystal Sorey, already reached a $2.25 million settlement earlier this year in a wrongful death lawsuit against the state’s Division of Children, Youth, and Families.

The new complaint was filed in Hillsborough County Superior Court’s northern district on behalf of Harmony’s estate. It argues that Harmony “endured breath-taking abuse and neglect by her father,” and that he is civilly liable for the prolonged pain she suffered and the loss of a lifetime of earnings.

Adam Montgomery was convicted last year of killing Harmony in December 2019, but the case did not explode into the public eye until late 2021. That was when Sorey contacted police to tell them that she had not seen her daughter in years. Sorey lost custody of Harmony in 2018 while dealing with substance use issues. A Massachusetts court awarded custody to Adam in early 2019, and Sorey last spoke to her in April 2019 via a video call.

At the time of Harmony’s death, Adam was living with his now-estranged wife Kayla Montgomery, their two young sons, and Harmony in a car because the family had been evicted. Adam grew frustrated with the girl for not being able to control herself and having bathroom accidents in the car. He punched Harmony as they drove from a methadone clinic to a fast food restaurant, prosecutors said.

The car broke down later that day, and Adam discovered that his daughter was dead. According to prosecutors, he put her body in a duffel bag and then continuously hid it for months in a cooler, the ceiling of a shelter, and a walk-in freezer at a pizza shop.

Prosecutors said that Adam rented a van in March 2020 in order to dispose of the body. Records showed the van traveling to Boston, but Adam has never revealed the location of Harmony’s body and her remains have not been located.

The saga exposed key failures of child protections services in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

Adam was convicted of second-degree murder, falsifying evidence, and abusing a corpse last year. He was sentenced to a minimum of 56 years in prison. He is currently incarcerated in Virginia, according to the complaint.