A New Hampshire man accused of killing his 5-year-old daughter, Harmony Montgomery, beat her to death and then spent months hiding her body as he and his family moved from place to place, according to an affidavit obtained by WFXT.
Editor’s note: This story contains details of a child’s death that may be disturbing to some readers.
Court records show that Adam Montgomery was angry because his daughter kept wetting herself when he allegedly killed her in December 2019. Adam Montgomery’s estranged wife, Kayla Montgomery, told investigators that at the time, the family — including Adam Montgomery, Kayla Montgomery, their two young children and Harmony — was living out of a car after being evicted from their home.
Kayla Montgomery said that Adam Montgomery regularly hit Harmony in the head or face after she had accidents in the car. She said that on Dec. 7, 2019, he hit Harmony three or four times over the course of a few minutes.
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“Kayla stated that after the final blow, Adam said words to the effect of that he felt something or heard something when he hit Harmony, and, ‘I think I really hurt her this time. I think I did something,’” police said in the affidavit.
Afterward, Kayla Montgomery told authorities that Harmony began making a “moaning type noise which went on for roughly five minutes and then stopped.”
[ Police search Massachusetts wetlands in connection to Harmony Montgomery case ]
She said that they did not stop or get medical help for Harmony. Later, the family’s car broke down and the couple realized that Harmony was dead, according to the affidavit.
“Kayla stated that Adam went to the trunk of the vehicle, removed clothing from a black and red Under Armour duffle bag and placed the lifeless body of Harmony into the bag,” police said.
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Adam Montgomery brought the duffle bag with him when the family temporarily moved into a friend’s car, Kayla Montgomery said, keeping it in the trunk and sometimes leaving it in the snow to stop decomposition. She said that in the months after Harmony’s death, the family moved several times and Adam Montgomery moved the girl’s remains with them.
Kayla Montgomery said that sometime in the spring of 2020, Adam Montgomery had a friend rent a U-Haul for him, which he used to dispose of Harmony’s remains. She told police that he left her late one night and returned a few hours later looking “very tired.”
“He said words to the effect of ‘it’s done,’” according to the affidavit.
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Harmony’s body has not been found.
Adam Montgomery is facing charges of second-degree murder, tampering with witnesses and informants, falsifying physical evidence and abuse of a corpse. His trial could begin later this year, WFXT reported.
Kayla Montgomery pleaded guilty last year to two counts of perjury and agreed to testify against her estranged husband as part of a deal with prosecutors, according to WFXT.