In one of the most tragic and revealing child welfare failures in recent memory, the state of New Hampshire has agreed to pay $2.25 million to Crystal Sorey, the mother of five-year-old Harmony Montgomery. The settlement is more than financial. It is a public acknowledgment that the child protection system ignored red flags, abandoned oversight, and failed to protect a child from fatal harm.
Image credit: Crystal Sorey via Facebook
A Complex Custody History
According to reports from WMUR and the Massachusetts Office of the Child Advocate, Crystal Sorey struggled with substance use during the years leading up to Harmony’s placement. Court records show that Harmony was removed from her mother’s care multiple times. Although Sorey had made efforts to engage in treatment, concerns about her stability and well-being led the state to award full custody of Harmony to her father, Adam Montgomery, in 2019.
What is most alarming is that Adam Montgomery had a violent criminal history, a record of substance abuse, and had been flagged for dangerous behavior. Despite this, the New Hampshire Division for Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) approved the placement, failed to verify the child’s safety, and conducted no meaningful oversight once Harmony was in his care.
The Fatal Outcome
Harmony was last seen alive in 2019. Authorities did not begin investigating her whereabouts until two years later. By then, it was too late. Adam Montgomery was arrested and later convicted of Harmony’s murder. He is currently serving a minimum sentence of 56 years in prison.
DCYF’s internal records and the Office of the Child Advocate’s 2022 report detail a breakdown in communication between agencies, a failure to investigate reports of abuse, and complete disregard for Crystal Sorey’s repeated concerns.
The Settlement
In 2024, Crystal Sorey filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the state of New Hampshire, alleging that DCYF’s decision to place Harmony in the custody of a known abuser directly contributed to her death. In 2025, the state settled for $2.25 million, the largest known payout related to a child fatality in state care.
“No amount of money will bring Harmony back. But this settlement shows that they failed her, and they know it.” — Crystal Sorey
This Is Not Just About One Case
Harmony’s story is tragic, but it is not rare. Across the country, parents are watching child protective services remove children based on assumptions, bad information, or outright neglect of due process. At the same time, these same agencies are placing children in homes where warning signs are ignored, abusers are empowered, and oversight is minimal at best.
The system claims it was built to protect children. But Harmony’s death tells a different story. This is not protection. It is institutional harm disguised as intervention.
Where Is the Accountability
DCYF issued a vague statement promising to review its protocols. But no employee has been fired. No criminal charges have been filed against those who ignored the signs. Harmony is gone. Her mother is left grieving. And the agency that was supposed to prevent this has yet to face real consequences.
Call to Action
Crystal Sorey’s past struggles should not have silenced her concerns. Yet far too often, parents who are working to recover and reunite with their children are dismissed, discredited, or permanently severed from their families, while courts grant custody to the parent with the “cleaner” record on paper, regardless of actual risk.
This is not an isolated mistake. This is a systemic pattern where paperwork outweighs safety, and reunification is prioritized over common sense.
Harmony Montgomery is gone. Her mother is still grieving. The agency that was supposed to protect her has failed, and families across this country know this pain all too well.
If this system is not reformed, more children will be lost. More families will be shattered. And more agencies will hide behind policy while parents bury their babies.
Say her name. Demand more.