Officials Ignored Warning Signs Prior to Young Girl’s Death at the Hands of Her Father, Lawsuit Says

Manchester Police Public Information Officer Heather Hamel holds two reward posters, Jan. 4, 2022, in Manchester, N.H., that show missing girl Harmony Montgomery. John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via AP

MEREDITH, N.H.—New Hampshire social workers ignored a litany of warning signs that a 5-year-old girl was being physically abused by her father prior to the child’s death, the slain girl’s mother alleged in a negligence lawsuit filed Friday against the state.

Crystal Sorey says the state’s Division for Children, Youth and Families failed to act on numerous reports from multiple people about Harmony Montgomery’s welfare after father Adam Montgomery was awarded custody of the girl in February 2019.