Stepmother of missing Harmony Montgomery charged with fraud

CONCORD, N.H. – The stepmother of a miss who disappeared successful 2019 astatine property 5 has been charged with payment fraud for collecting nutrient stamps successful her name, the New Hampshire lawyer general’s bureau said Thursday.

Kayla Montgomery, 31, of Manchester, has been charged 1 with 1 number of payment fraud connected suspicion of obtaining $1,500 successful nutrient stamps from December 2019 to June 2021 for Harmony Montgomery, adjacent though the miss was not surviving with Kayla and her husband, Adam Montgomery.

Kayla Montgomery pleaded not blameworthy successful Hillsborough County Superior Court. Her lawyer asked that she beryllium released connected her ain recognizance. The justice agreed to a prosecutor’s petition for $5,000 bail, ruling that Montgomery, who has a misdemeanor transgression record, indispensable cheque successful regular successful idiosyncratic with Manchester police.

Adam Montgomery, 31, was charged Wednesday with respective counts, including failing to person Harmony successful his custody. His lawyer entered not blameworthy pleas connected his behalf. He has been jailed without bail.

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In an interrogation with constabulary connected New Year's Eve, Kayla Montgomery — who shares 3 children with her husband, ages 4, 2 and 1 — said she past saw Harmony successful November oregon December 2019. She said her hubby was driving Harmony to the child's parent successful Massachusetts. She said she believed Harmony had been returned to the parent and ne'er saw oregon heard astir Harmony aft that day, according to the constabulary document.

Kayla Montgomery besides told constabulary she hadn’t seen Adam since October and had not spoken to him since November.

A “change report" submitted by Kayla Montgomery for nutrient stamps connected Feb. 25, 2019 — 3 days aft her hubby received ineligible custody of Harmony — said Harmony “is present presently surviving with america full-time. She is 4 years aged and permanently unsighted successful 1 eye, she was calved similar that," according to a constabulary document.

As of January 2021, further nutrient stamp paperwork indicated her household consisted of 2 joined adults and 4 children, “three successful communal and each claimed arsenic taxation dependents." A lawsuit idiosyncratic had added a enactment saying Kayla Montgomery “seemed confused astir whether oregon not Harmony lived determination due to the fact that (she) goes to her mom's each different weekend," according to the document.

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That June, an relationship alteration study noted that lawsuit absorption for Harmony was closed, noting “client said she moved backmost with her parent and to region her from her case," the papers said.

Manchester constabulary acceptable up a 24-hour extremity enactment this week and offered $60,000 successful rewards successful an effort to find Harmony Montgomery. They said they were moving to find her with the authorities Division for Children, Youth and Families and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

“An guiltless kid is unaccounted for and we are moving tirelessly to get the answers needed to find her," constabulary said successful a quality merchandise astir the accrued donations being offered by section businesses.

Gov. Chris Sununu, during his play quality league connected COVID-19 updates, besides pleaded for assistance successful uncovering Harmony.

“We request to bring her location safely," helium said.

Harmony’s parent called Manchester constabulary successful November to accidental she hadn’t seen her girl successful a while. She primitively told officers she hadn’t seen her successful implicit six months, but past said it had been since Easter 2019, erstwhile she video chatted with the begetter and Harmony, according to a constabulary affidavit.

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Police said Adam Montgomery was arrested connected a second-degree battle complaint Tuesday, arsenic good arsenic connected charges of interfering with custody and kid endangerment. Police accused him of “purposely violating a work of care, extortion oregon support” by failing to cognize wherever she has been since precocious 2019 — the past reported sighting of Harmony.

In an interrogation with police, Harmony’s great-uncle told officers helium saw her with a achromatic oculus successful July 2019. He said Montgomery told him helium deed her aft helium had seen his girl holding her manus implicit her younger brother’s rima to halt him from crying, according to the constabulary documents.

The household subordinate said helium notified the state’s kid protective services.

Montgomery’s member besides told constabulary helium was acrophobic helium was “super short” with the child.

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