Volunteers searched several communities on the North Shore of Massachusetts Saturday as they hunted for the remains of Harmony Montgomery, the little girl who was brutally beaten to death by her father in 2019.
Crews combed the 600-acre Rumney Marsh Reservation as they tried to find Harmony Montgomery’s body, the location of which her killer dad has refused to reveal.
“That’s the acceptance I’ve had to come to terms with in my grief — just accepting the fact that he’s never going to do the right thing for her,” Crystal Sorey, Harmony’s heartbroken mom, told WCVB 5 in Boston.
Harmony Montgomery, the little girl who was murdered by her dad before he disposed of her remains. Manchester NH Police
Harmony’s dad, 34-year-old Adam Montgomery, was sentenced to 45 years to life in prison in May for murdering the 5-year-old girl, then hiding her body in a tote bag, a cooler and a freezer at the restaurant at which he worked.
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Eventually, he disposed of her remains — but he’s never said where.
Prosecutors even offered him a lighter sentence that would have cut his jail time by 21 years in return for the information. But Adam Montgomery remained mum.
“I’ve had a lot of dreams and this area has been in my dreams,” Sorey said Saturday, according to the outlet.
“It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack, right?” added volunteer Thomas Seretta.
“I just wish that monster would have shared some dignity to help put her to rest,” said Susan Vandecasteele, who was also helping comb the area.
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Authorities had narrowed their search to a 106-mile route between Manchester and the Tobin Bridge in Boston that Adam Montgomery had driven in a rented U-Haul in March 2020, according to the station.
Montgomery was just 5 years old when her father killed her for having accidents in the car. Manchester NH Police
“Harmony’s remains are likely somewhere along this route,” Senior Assistant Attorney General Ben Agati said.
Sorey plans to organize monthly searches as she continues to look for her vanished daughter. She encouraged anyone with information to call the case tip line at 603-932-8997.
“There’s no reason to be afraid anymore,” she told the network. “Even if you think it’s the tiniest of information, it can help in a huge way.”
At his trial, prosecutors said Adam Montgomery beat the girl to death in a fit of rage because she had bathroom accidents in their car. Then he went for fast food and did drugs — all while ignoring her final cries as she died in the backseat, the court was told.
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Volunteers searched towns on the North Shore in Massachusetts for her remains on Saturday. WCVB BostonCrystal Sorey, Harmony’s heartbroken mom, will organize monthly searches to look for her daughter’s remains. AP
Afterward, he lugged her decomposing body to the restaurant each day and left it in the freezer, keeping it next to food.
Eventually, he threw out the little girl “like yesterday’s trash,” prosecutors said.
During Adam Montgomery’s sentencing, Agati told Judge Amy Messer that Harmony’s family would get much-needed closure if her dad would reveal where he left the little girl’s body.
But Adam — who has maintained his innocence — refused to answer.
Adam Montgomery was sentenced to 45 years to life in prison in May. AP
So Agati said the killer’s inability to repent was “yet another reason” why Judge Messer should throw the book at him.
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The court sent him to jail for 45 years to life, a sentence to run consecutively to the decades-long term he was already serving for weapons charges.
“In light of the egregious nature of the crimes of which you have been convicted in this case, and taking into consideration your extremely violent criminal history, the court finds the only way to do this is to keep you off the streets,” the judge said.
Harmony disappeared in 2019, but cops didn’t learn about the disappearance until two years later.
Snow fell across Massachusetts overnight on Saturday and throughout Sunday morning thanks for a fast-moving low pressure system, according to the National Weather Service.
The snowfall is expected to continue into and through the afternoon in many communities, lasting longer in Bristol, Plymouth, Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket Counties, the weather service said. Southeastern Massachusetts is predicted to see 2 to 4 inches of snow, with cities and towns closest to the coast getting up to 6 inches. A winter weather advisory is set to remain in effect in these counties until 7 p.m. Sunday.
Read more: Mass. weather: Snowy Sunday with dangerous, arctic cold to follow
As of the early afternoon on Sunday, no communities had received more than 4 inches, according to the weather service. Falmouth and Dennis recorded getting the most snow so far at 4 inches as of 3:15 p.m.
Here are the snow totals for Massachusetts as of mid-afternoon on Sunday. This article will be updated throughout the day.
Good morning! We’ve got snow on tap for today, which will linger most of the day and night across southeastern Massachusetts. We’ll dry out in the early evening for most of the rest of eastern Massachusetts, with north central Massachusetts drying out the quickest.
Snow will be widespread throughout the morning and into the early afternoon. As we get to the late afternoon, snow becomes more isolated over central Massachusetts but is still hanging around the coast, southeast Mass. and the Cape and islands.
Into the evening, the snow will become ocean-enhanced over southeast Mass. and the Cape/islands.
That’s where totals will be the highest.
4 to 6 inches of snow is expected there by late Sunday night.
For the rest of us, just a chance for a few inches.
After this storm it’s all about the cold wind. Monday’s lows will drop to the teens with highs in the mid 20s. But a biting wind will make it feel only like the negative single digits in the morning and the teens in the afternoon. Bundle up! At least the sun will be out.
Tuesday is looking mostly sunny and not windy. Lows will drop to the teens with highs in the low 30s. Wednesday, breezy again with a start in the 20s and afternoon temperatures mild in the low 40s. Thursday will be downright warm! We’ll hit the upper 40s with chances for rain in the evening. Friday we’ll reach the low 50s with chances of rain in the morning. Saturday looks dry, partly sunny with highs back to near normal in the mid 30s.
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FILE – A man is using a special electric saw to cut a granite counter in a residential kitchen in preparation for installing a new range top. Getty Images
A Massachusetts man has been diagnosed with a life-altering lung disease linked to popular kitchen countertops.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed this week that its first case of silicosis had been diagnosed in a Hispanic man in his 40s who, for the past 14 years, worked for stone countertop fabrication and installation companies.
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What is silicosis?
Big picture view:
Silicosis is a serious, incurable lung disease caused by inhalation of crystalline silica, which is found naturally in granite and other stones. Silicosis can become progressively disabling and sometimes prove fatal. It almost always results from work-related exposures.
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Dig deeper:
Silica dust particles become trapped in lung tissue, causing inflammation and scarring and reducing the lungs’ ability to take in oxygen, according to OSHA.
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Symptoms:
Symptoms of silicosis can include shortness of breath, cough and fatigue. Workers exposed to airborne crystalline silica also are at increased risk for lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and kidney disease.
What they’re saying:
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“Silicosis is a devastating, life-altering disease – and one that is also absolutely preventable,” said Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein, MD, PhD. “Massachusetts employers in industries where workers are exposed to silica dust have a responsibility to protect their workforce, including from harmful airborne dust. No worker should have to suffer from a chronic and insidious lung disease or possibly die because of a preventable exposure at work.”
Tanning beds could triple melanoma risk, new study finds
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Countertop disease
Big picture view:
Crystalline silica commonly occurs in nature as the mineral quartz, and is found in granite, sandstone, quartzite, various other rocks and sand. Cutting, grinding, chipping, sanding, drilling and polishing these natural and manufactured stones can release various levels of crystalline silica dust particles that can be inhaled if proper protections aren’t in place.
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Dig deeper:
Engineered or manufactured stone, also commonly called quartz, is particularly problematic since it has more crystalline silica than natural stone.
By the numbers:
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For example, the average percent of crystalline silica in engineered stone is at least 90% in quartz and engineered stone, vs. a 10-45% makeup in granite, according to an OSHA hazard alert.
What you can do:
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Certain engineering controls, such as water spraying systems or remote-controlled tools, can be used to mitigate risk, as well as by wearing proper respiratory protection.
Silica cases in the U.S.
Big picture view:
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Most engineered stone workers with silicosis in the U.S. were exposed to silica at their jobs for over ten years, although some were exposed for less time.
The backstory:
The first reported case of silicosis in the U.S. associated with exposure to silica dust from engineered stone was identified in Texas in 2014, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Since then, other states have reported hundreds of cases, and dozens of deaths, particularly in California.
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Dig deeper:
In the U.S., most engineered stone workers with silicosis are relatively young, male, and Hispanic/Latino. This largely reflects the demographic composition of this industry’s workforce.
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In 2023, over half of workers in this industry were under 45 years old, nearly three-quarters were men, and more than 1 in 3 were Hispanic/Latino, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Source: Information in this article was taken from a Dec. 9, 2025, alert from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Background information was taken from OSHA. This story was reported from Detroit.
