CONCORD, N.H. – A judge in New Hampshire has declared a missing 5-year-old girl legally dead, allowing her mother to assume administration of her estate. This decision comes shortly after the girl’s father was convicted of her murder. The news was made public in an order released by the probate judge on Tuesday, following a court appearance by the mother, Crystal Sorey.
The judge determined that Sorey had provided sufficient evidence to demonstrate that her daughter, Harmony Montgomery, was the victim of a “catastrophic event” and that her body has not been found. This ruling paves the way for Sorey to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit against the state. Sorey’s lawyer argued that the father’s conviction, as well as his admission to moving the child’s body and tampering with evidence, justified the legal declaration of death.
During the probate hearing, it was revealed that the estranged wife of the convicted father, Kayla Montgomery, testified that she had handled the lifeless body of Harmony Montgomery. Sorey’s lawyer still needs to provide the jury’s verdict and a probate surety bond to fulfill the necessary requirements as administrator.
The circumstances surrounding Harmony’s disappearance are tragic. Her parents were never in a committed relationship, and she lived with foster families intermittently, alternating between her mother and father. Sorey lost custody of Harmony in 2018, and the father was awarded custody in early 2019. According to Sorey, the last time she saw her daughter was during a FaceTime call around Easter of that year.
When authorities later questioned the father and Kayla Montgomery about Harmony’s whereabouts, they claimed that she was living with Sorey. Now, with the father in prison awaiting sentencing, he chose not to attend the probate hearing held via Webex.
This ruling brings closure to a painful chapter for Harmony Montgomery’s mother, as she continues to seek justice for her daughter’s death. As she moves forward with the legal process, the details surrounding this tragic case will likely be examined in greater detail. The judge’s ruling will also have implications for any future legal proceedings and investigations related to the girl’s disappearance.