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According to court papers filed Tuesday, prosecutors withdrew a welfare fraud allegation against the stepmother of a missing New Hampshire child for receiving food stamps in her name and replaced it with three new counts, including theft.
In accordance with the attorney general's office, the modification was made based on new documents concerning Kayla Montgomery's benefits from the state Department of Health and Human Services.
Missing New Hampshire child's stepmom faces multiple charges
Harmony Montgomery, her stepdaughter, went missing in 2019 when she was five years old but was not reported missing until late last year. Kayla Montgomery was arrested last week on suspicion of collecting $1,500 in food stamps for Harmony Montgomery from December 2019 to June 2021, despite the fact that the girl did not reside with Harmony's parents, Kayla and Adam Montgomery. She pled not guilty to the charges..
Although the new theft charge was brought under a different law, it accuses her of taking Harmony's food stamp money. The two "prohibited behavior" charges were brought under public welfare law, alleging that Kayla Montgomery made wilful false statements about Harmony being in her family in order to get benefits in February and March of 2021, ABC News reported.
Harmony Montgomery's original mother looked for her daughter for quite some time. Crystal Sorey stated in an email to the mayor of New Hampshire that she is a single mother of three children with just two children.
Elijah Lewis, a 5-year-old kid found dead in a Massachusetts park in October 2021, was the subject of Sorey's remark. The emails were given to the Manchester Police Department, according to a spokeswoman for the mayor's office. Harmony was placed on a "lost kid" notice two days later.
According to court records revealed earlier this month, Sorey called police on November 18, 2021, stating Harmony was gone. Harmony's father, Adam Montgomery, had physical custody of the daughter, according to Sorey, and she couldn't reach him. Sorey also said that she had to relinquish custody of Harmony in 2018 due to drug problems.
Harmony Montgomery's mother fears ex sold her daughter
The New Hampshire Department of Children's Services was contacted by police to locate Adam, but the agency was unable to find him by December 27. When police learned that Harmony "had not been physically seen since October/November 2019," they began looking for him.
Michael Montgomery, Adam Montgomery's brother, was also interviewed by police and said that Adam Montgomery had assaulted Harmony. Adam Montgomery's cousin, Kevin, was contacted by police after seeing an alleged assault incident that left Harmony with a black eye. Adam Montgomery was unhappy with Harmony when her little brother started screaming, according to Kevin, since he urged her to keep an eye on him, as per Crime Online.
The mother of the missing New Hampshire kid told NewsNationNow's Brian Entin that Adam Montgomery was aggressive and sold their seven-year-old daughter for drugs. Sorey believes Harmony's father should have never been given custody.
Harmony's mother said that no one listened to her worries because she was battling addiction and that the police in Manchester, New Hampshire, only intervened after she threatened to address the media. People should "hear" her and "come forward and tell us something because someone knows something," she says, The Sun reported.
Related Article: Mystery of 7-Year-Old New Hampshire Girl's Disappearance Only Reported This Week Despite Being Missing 2 Years Ago
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