The Federal Bureau of Investigation is now assisting in the search for Harmony Montgomery, a 7-year-old who was reported missing two years after she was last seen in New Hampshire.
“In keeping with standard protocol, we are assisting the Manchester Police Department with their investigation into the suspicious disappearance of Harmony Montgomery,” an FBI spokesperson told The Daily Beast on Tuesday, noting that local officials are still leading the probe. “We urge anyone with information about Harmony’s current whereabouts to contact law enforcement.”
The Manchester Police Department say Montgomery, then five years old, was last seen at a Manchester home after officers answered a service call in October 2019. On Dec. 31 of 2021, authorities issued a “missing child” alert after learning of her years-long disappearance and launched an investigation to find the girl who may be wearing glasses and is blind in her right eye.
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“I know people are going to say: ‘Well, here it is 2021, almost 2022, and nobody’s seen this young girl since late of October 2019. So what’s happened in the last two years?’ Fair question,” Manchester Police Chief Allen Aldenberg said on Friday. “Because we need assistance, we need help, and we don’t have many answers to many questions that we have.”
In an impassioned speech to reporters on Monday, Aldenberg said that the case is still being investigated as a missing persons case and that many of the 7-year-old’s family members have already been interviewed in an attempt to fill in the blanks as to what happened over the last two years.
“I am in rescue mode right now. This is not a recovery. All efforts are focused on that Harmony is alive…until somebody points to me that proves that she is not. We have to operate under the assumption that she is alive,” Aldenberg said “Help us find this little girl. Someone knows something. Do what is right and call in. I cannot emphasize this enough. Someone out there knows something.”
Can you help us locate 7-year-old Harmony Montgomery who was last seen in the fall of 2019? Today, @mht_nh_police announced that the reward for information has increased to $33,000. You can submit tips by calling or texting 603-203-6060. pic.twitter.com/SPxlmpbIsj
— FBI Boston (@FBIBoston) January 5, 2022
In the days since launching the investigation that has garnered national attention, authorities have searched the home Montgomery once lived in with her family, launched a 24-hour tipline, acquired assistance from the FBI, and announced a reward for information about Harmony’s whereabouts.
As of Monday afternoon, authorities said the reward has increased to $33,000—in large part due to the generous donation from Dick Anagnost, owner of Anagnost Realty and Development, and Arthur Sullivan, who owns Brady Sullivan Properties.
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Anagnost told The Daily Beast that his initial decision to offer a reward to find Harmony stemmed from the shock of learning “that she was missing for two years and nobody reported her missing.”
“I have grandchildren of Harmony’s age, and it struck a note with me,” Anagnost said Monday, shortly after his company doubled their reward contribution to $20,000. “Two years is a long time and that trail has gone cold. Police are basically trying to investigate this with their hands behind their back. We just wanted to help generate some activity and incentivize people to bring information to the police.”
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Authorities have been tight-lipped about what information they have gathered regarding Harmony’s disappearance. Police have not yet released any details into the investigation. Aldenberg has previously said that Harmony was at one point enrolled in school was in Massachusetts.
Harmony’s mother, Crys Renee Sorey, took to Facebook on Monday to plead for information about her daughter’s disappearance. Another woman, who identified herself as Harmony’s older cousin, wrote on social media that the 7-year-old was “known to be in the custody of her father.”
“HARMONY MOMMYS COMING FOR YOU I PROMISE & I WILL NEVER LET YOU GO!!!! HANG ON BABY!!!!” Sorey wrote in her post.
Harmony’s great uncle, Kevin Montgomery, previously told The Daily Beast that he last saw the 7-year-old in October 2019—after a contentious situation at the home he once shared with several family members, including the child and her parents. During the altercation, Montgomery said that Harmony looked “looked like a scared puppy.”
Timothy Flanagan, Sorey’s father, told Boston25News that he is “sick” over the disappearance of his granddaughter but is still hopeful she is alive.
“Yeah, I have a lot of hope. I pray,” Flanagan told the outlet. “She’ll be found. One way or another.”
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