Mass. court system to review Montgomery case
Jan. 27—The Massachusetts court system has pledged to review the case of Harmony Montgomery and participate in a review being conducted by the state's Office of the Child Advocate.
In a letter to Gov. Chris Sununu's office sent last week, Chief Justice Kimberly S. Budd of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court outlined the Massachusetts court system's efforts.
Budd was writing in response to a scathing letter from Sununu sent earlier this month, demanding Massachusetts review a Lawrence Probate and Family Court judge's decision in 2019 to grant sole custody of Harmony to her father, Adam Montgomery, who has a lengthy and violent criminal record.
Harmony had been in foster care in Massachusetts leading up to the Feb. 22, 2019, custody decision.
Harmony, who was 5 at the time, was last seen in late November or early December of that year.
In her letter, Budd said the state's trial courts would review Harmony's court case, and she pledged that the courts would participate in the review underway at the Massachusetts Office of the Child Advocate.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Manchester Police Department's 24-hour tip line at 603-203-6060.
"Finding Harmony remains everyone's top priority and will take an all-hands-on-deck effort," Sununu said in a statement Thursday. "I appreciate the Court's willingness to join us in reviewing this very serious issue. Getting answers to the questions raised in my letter is paramount, and I am confident we all share this goal."
The letter from Budd was dated Jan. 21, but Sununu's office did not publicly acknowledge its receipt until Thursday, after the review was reported by the Boston Globe.
Sununu ordered the New Hampshire Division of Children, Youth and Families to review the case as well.