Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - SPECIAL WEEKEND CRIME STORIES UPDATE: Little Harmony Montgomery, DEAD, first reported missing AFTER 2 YEARS

Episode Date: August 12, 2022

The search for missing girl Harmony Montgomery is now a murder investigation. New Hampshire police say the then 5-year-old went missing sometime between Nov. 28 and Dec. 10, 2019. Her disappearance was not reported for two years.  Police say new evidence, which was not revealed,  indicated Montgomery is dead. The family of Harmony Montgomery says the New Hampshire Division For Children Youth and Families failed the little girl. According to Blair Miller, who adopted Harmony's younger brother, DCYF officials told him, Harmony had been reunited with her father. Miller had asked about the possibility of adopting Harmony as well.  According to court documents, Kevin Montgomery, Adam's Uncle, called DCYF after he noticed Harmony had a black eye. Kevin Montgomery later told police his nephew, Adam, admitted to physically abusing harmony. Montgomery's remains have not been found. No one as been charged in her disappearance or death.   Joining Nancy Grace today: Nicole Deborde Hochglaube - Criminal Defense Lawyer (Houston TX), Former Prosecutor, Twitter: @debordelaw, HoustonCriminalDefense.com, Dr. Jorey Krawczyn - Psychologist, Faculty Saint Leo University; Consultant Blue Wall Institute, Author: Operation S.O.S.  Lisa M. Dadio - Former Police Lieutenant, New Haven Police Department, Senior Lecturer, Director of the "Center for Advanced Policing" at the University of New Haven's Forensic Science Department Blair Miller - Adoptive Father of Jamison (Victim's Biological Brother), Reporter/Anchor, CMG Washington News Bureau, Twitter/Facebook/Instagram: @BlairMillerTV Jax Miller - News writer for Oxygen.com, True Crime Author, Author: "Hell in The Heartland: Murder, Meth, and The Case of Two Missing Girls", Facebook: "RealJaxMiller", Twitter/Instagram: @RealJaxMiller Nicole Partin - CrimeOnline.com Investigative Reporter, Twitter: @nicolepartin See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. In the last hours, a stunning development in the search for seven-year-old Harmony Montgomery. I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. Thank you for being with us here at Fox Nation Sirius XM 111. First of all, take a listen to our cut B. The Manchester, New Hampshire police chief was choking back tears while the New Hampshire attorney general said it was devastating to have to break this news. It's been more than two years since Harmony Montgomery was last seen, and while many questions remain, this investigation has taken a new turn.

This is now officially a homicide investigation. The heartbreaking determination from investigators, erasing any hope of Harmony Montgomery being alive. She was five years old when she was last seen between November 28th and December 10th of 2019, a time frame when they now say she was murdered. And that is the tip of the iceberg. You were hearing our friends at CBS Boston just then. Did you notice what she said and what she didn't say? Roll it again, Jackie, please. The Manchester, New Hampshire police chief was choking back tears while the New Hampshire attorney general said it was devastating to have to break this news. It's been more than two years since Harmony Montgomery was last seen, and while many questions remain, this investigation has taken a new turn.

This is now officially a homicide investigation. The heartbreaking determination from investigators, erasing any hope of Harmony Montgomery being alive. She was five years old when she was last seen between November 28th and December 10th of 2019, a time frame when they now say she was murdered. But nobody has found Harmony, and nobody has been arrested in Harmony's disappearance. Adam Montgomery is Harmony's father.

Her mother, who goes by a couple of different names, but we know her as Crystal Sori, has not had custody of Harmony since 2019. Department of Family and Children's Services, give full custody and give her to the father that we think gave her the black eye. Take a listen to our friends at CBS Boston. A man has been arrested in connection to the search for a young girl who has been missing for two years. The attorney general says that Adam Montgomery was wanted for allegedly assaulting

Harmony Montgomery in 2019. He is facing several charges, but has not been charged in her disappearance. Police say the now seven-year-old was last seen in 2019, although she was only reported missing last week. I appreciate that. I'm glad an arrest has been made essentially for the black eye this little girl had in 2019. Police were called and they went,

can't do anything about that. We'll wash my hands of the whole thing. Department of Family and Children's Services, even worse. So he's arrested. They've got him in their clutches like the spider in the web. And now they're going to try to squeeze him. Talk to him, see if he will volunteer anything. Play good cop, bad cop. Bring him a cup of coffee. No, take it away. Give it back. Threat squeeze him. Talk to him. See if he will volunteer anything. Play good cop, bad cop.

Bring him a cup of coffee. No, take it away. Give it back. Threaten him within the confines of the Constitution. Of course, put him on a guilt trip. Whatever they can do to find this little girl. Of course, within the bounds of the Constitution. With me, Nicole Hutch Globe.

Joining us out of Texas. She's been on the case from the very beginning, former prosecutor and now defense attorney at HoustonCriminalDefense.com. Would you agree or disagree, Nicole Hotchglobe? I totally agree. And I think, unfortunately, because of his experience with law enforcement, he is not likely to break and provide information. I hope I'm wrong, but I don't expect that they'll be getting any helpful information out of this individual. Nicole DeBoerde-Hochglobe, could you repeat what you just said? You said, based on his experience, you make him sound like he's a private investigator or psychologist. I believe what you mean by that, Nicole DeBoer-Hodgeglobe, is that he's got a rap sheet as long as I-75.

Are you talking about that experience? You got it. That's his resume. He's had many encounters with law enforcement, and I'm thinking because he's had so many encounters with law enforcement that he is very, very unlikely to respond to what no doubt is something he's seen before in terms of interview technique. Nicole Parton, CrimeOnline.com investigative reporter. Nicole Parton, do you have anything on his rap sheet that we know of? I do.

And his rap sheet goes all the way back to 2007. Hold on, let me get comfortable. Go ahead. Okay, a numerous long rap sheet that includes burglary assault and armed robbery with the intent to murder and another interesting thing uh correct me if i'm wrong nicole this is based on an account i i got from boston 25 yes in new hampshire he has the burglary, which is a felony. First degree assault,

which is a felony. Stalking, which can be a felony. In Massachusetts, dating back to 2014, which that affects what, that relates to what Nicole Hotchklob just said.

In Haverhill, you've got armed robbery, assault with intent to murder, which I believe to have been a drug shooting. And they just hand the child over to this father? Give the baby to him? If this is, in fact, the same Adam Montgomery with the same DOB. What about that, Dr. Jory Crawson?

Dr. Jory, you've never worked with defects have you yes i have oh dear lord in heaven why did we even book him you work with why uh to help children okay all right that was my focus with him i look at his past behavior in order to look at future behavior. He knows the criminal justice system, so it comes down to how well they interview and negotiate with him. He's in a position to negotiate information. So as an interviewer of him, that's where I would focus in on, because he's definitely got information from 2019 forward that they need to use to fill in their timeline. And Nicole Parton, joining

us from CrimeOnline.com, you've got the father with a rap sheet, and you've got the mother who has lost custody. I think we can take her out of this equation because it's, could you check this, Jackie? Unless you know, Nicole, I don't think the mom had custody in 2019 when Harmony was last seen alive with that black eye.

That was around October 1, 2019. I don't think the mom had custody. Okay. And once her rights are terminated, she can't do any more than she's done. She can call DCF and ask, but they're not going to tell her anything. She has legally no rights. So in somewhat of a defense to this mom, if she was looking for the daughter, they wouldn't give her any information because her rights have been terminated. Take a listen, guys, to the New Hampshire police chief, Alan Aldenburg. Listen.

I'm beyond saddened that we stand here today to announce that the disappearance of Harmony Montgomery is now officially a homicide investigation. As I stated from the beginning of this investigation and throughout, every effort has been made to bring Harmony home to her family. Our commitment to bringing Harmony home has not wavered, nor will it. Bringing Harmony home will continue to be the number one priority of the Manchester Police Department. I know that over the past eight months that there have been many discussions, speculation and questions relative to where the system failed Harmony and I myself continue to share the same concerns and still have many remaining questions. However, the

homicide of this little girl rests with the person or persons who committed this horrific act. The Manchester Police Department will do everything within the limits of the law to ensure that the responsible person or persons for the murder of Harmony are brought to justice. As always, I encourage members of the public to continue to use a dedicated tip line should they have any information at all that would assist us in locating Harmony or any information that they feel is relevant to this investigation. The dedicated tip line number is 603-203-6060. Again, that number is 603-203-6060. Again, that number is 603 203 6060. As I said from the beginning, I maintain the stance that there are people out there

in the community that have information about this investigation who have yet to come forward. If you are that person, pay attention to me carefully. If you are that person, I implore you to do so now and come forward. I'm not asking you to do it for me, for the people in this room, the people that have been working this investigation. Do it for this little girl. crime stories with nancy grace a stunning development in the search for seven-year-old harmony montgomery have you

looked guys have you looked at her picture because she's always got this huge smile and she's got her little special glasses and you can tell one eye is having a problem. We now know she's blind in that eye. She's always got this big smile and behind that smile this child was being abused and beaten and bouncing from foster home to foster home. She'd only been alive 60 months and now dead. Take a listen to our friends at WCVB. Harmony Montgomery was just five years old when investigators say she was killed sometime in December of 2019. Her body has never been found.

We just want to find her remains so we can lay her to rest and bring her home. Investigators say new evidence led them to make the call. Including just recently confirmed biological evidence that have led us to this difficult and tragic conclusion. Earlier this summer, state and federal law enforcement agencies swarmed a Manchester apartment building where Harmony's father and his estranged wife had previously lived. Investigators carrying out evidence.'s father adam montgomery had custody of her at the time of her disappearance he had been charged with giving the girl a black

eye in 2019. while he hasn't been charged in connection to harmony's disappearance or murder he is being held on unrelated gun theft charges can you you imagine just five years? How did this whole thing begin? Why do two years pass before anybody raises a flag formally that she is missing? Now, you know, if one of my children don't show up to school, all H-E-L-L breaks loose. That's why I got to get in there ahead of time and say, oh, Lucy has a sore throat. John David has an earache. Ahead of time before all the bells and the alarms go off because they're missing and school doesn't know why. What happened with the school system what happened with department family children's services who had been called to the home many times before about 13 times for various things

even the neighbors had called so why is it one of the last times this little then five-year-old girl is seen with a black eye and the authorities from the cops and Department of Family Children's Services leave her in the home with a black eye, scared and crying. Why? Why did that happen? We let a little girl just disappear? Where is harmony? With me, an all-star panel to make sense of what we know right now. First of all, Lisa Daddio, former police lieutenant, New Haven PD, senior lecturer and director for Center for Advanced Policing, University of New Haven. Dr. Jory Cross, psychologist, faculty, St. Leo University, consultant with the Blue Wall Institute, and author of Operation SOS. And boy, do we need to shrink. High-profile lawyer joining me out of Houston,

former felony prosecutor Nicole DeBoer Hotchglobe, and you can find her at HoustonCriminalDefense.com. Special guest joining us, and I now feel that we are friends over the airwaves, Blair Miller. Now, Blair Miller, who you may see on air, he's a who actually tried to do something about Harmony's horrible situation. He tried to adopt her. And you know why? Because he and his partner adopted her little brother, Jameson. Then they find out Jameson has a sister. So Jameson wants his sister, of course. So they try to get Harmony to open up their home and formally adopt her. And they are told by Department of Family and Children's Services, no, we're going to reunite her with her abusive father, the one with the rap sheet,

including shooting somebody in the face. Blair Miller is with us, who desperately tried to get Harmony and give her a happy life in a loving home. Blair Miller, as the days pass by, what do you think? We're very concerned. As much as this keeps going on, our concerns grow. It feels like it's been a lifetime since we first learned about this at the end of December. Jax Miller, news writer for Oxygen.com, my old TV home, true crime author of Hell in the Heartland, Murder, Meth, and the Case of Two Missing Girls. Let's talk about what we know about Harmony. We have this two-year span of time. That's two years of evidence that's lost, that opportunities to speak with people who may have known something just out the window we're still trying to play catch up um there's been a lot of developments in the recent

weeks including the arrests of of anthony montgomery um or i'm sorry i'm adam montgomery who is the bio dad for those of you just joining us harmony montgomery's bio dad is adam montgomery the one i told you about with the big rap sheet including shooting somebody in the face during a drug deal um how many children does he have Blair Miller three that we know of or four uh we think it's three but um you know you know we it's kind of hard to know one is Jameson that you have one is Harmony that's been missing for two years. And Jameson has a brother, correct? Jameson has a brother as well, a biological brother.

And obviously Harmony has a biological sister. So those are the three that we know of. Guys, speaking of the father, Adam Montgomery, he's the one. Didn't he claim, Jax Miller, that he, quote, bashed a little girl around the house? Yeah, that's what's being reported, that he had said that he'd done that. There are reports that he had forced Harmony to stand in the corner for hours and that she had to clean the house with a toothbrush, including the toilet, which is just so incredibly excessive and just horrible to even think about. You know, I'm listening to this and I need a shrink. Dr. house with a toothbrush, including the toilet, which is just so incredibly excessive and just horrible to even think about.

You know, I'm listening to this and I need a shrink. Dr. Jory Crawson, psychologist, faculty, St. Leo University, forcing a child to clean the bathroom, including the commode with their toothbrush, making her stand in the corner for hours on end until she couldn't even stand up anymore, giving her a black eye. Why? That comes from his just abusive nature, giving her a black eye. Why? That comes from his just abusive nature, the aggressiveness of him. First off, he should have never had this child in the custody of himself.

That gets back to the DCYF and their protocol. You know, he repeatedly from his behavior showed this aggressive nature and violence and only, you know, can't really tell what has happened to her. But it's not going to turn out well. What I'm saying is why does a grown adult feel the need to torture a little child, a five-year-old little girl? She weighed, as I recall, maybe 50 pounds. She's only four feet tall and she's blind in one eye. Why would you give a little girl like that a black eye? Make her stand in the corner for hours until she can't stand up anymore. Make her clean the whole house with a toothbrush, her toothbrush. Explain that to me. Usually the research shows that the daughter or the child is related to the other parent.

So he's basically focusing his hatred, his anger on her mother through her by making and forcing that control over her. Okay, let me tell you a technical legal term, Dr. Jory Cross, and that you may not have learned in psychology when you were getting your doctorate. It's called an a-hole. All right. And now I'm not giving you the full Latin word, but to you, Nicole DeBoer, Hotch Globe, you've been a felony prosecutor now, veteran defense attorney, high profile lawyer, joining me out of Houston.

You heard of those, right? A-holes where they don't really need a reason. Because, yeah, I'm all for you shrinking it dr jory crawson about he's taking out his feelings against his wife blah blah blah on the door bfs foul on that why why did he shoot somebody in the face why does he have assault stalking theft charges was he all that was all that acted out because of his anger at his ex-wife? No. He is what we call in the law, Nicole Hotchklob, an a-hole.

He needs to be in jail. Well, and he definitely doesn't need to have custody of a small child. And it's shocking to me, knowing what we know now with what appears to be minimal research after she went missing or was reported missing, that his record is a mile long. I don't understand how the people in charge of making sure that this child was in safe hands allowed that child, despite many reports, potentially continuing abuse, allowed her to stay in that home. Jax Miller joining me from Oxygen.com. How is it the dad got custody? Well, I think that's the million dollar question and i think everyone is hoping that there's going to be an internal uh review with a dcyf because

how does a child go back with the biological father when he has a rap sheet like this i mean his rap sheet includes uh stabbing other people pulling knives on people, stalking people, armed robberies, shooting people in the head. It's pretty lengthy. Blair Miller, the adoptive dad of Harmony's little brother, Jameson. Do you remember that court date where you had the adoption hearing regarding Jameson? We had a couple different hearings. As far as the focus on Harmony's timeline, as far as her court dates, we didn't know her court dates. So there could be some court dates to get back.

We were told that Harmony had been reunited with her father officially by the state in February of 2019. We adopted Jameson. We were matching him in June, and then we officially adopted him on National Adoption Day in November, about a week before Thanksgiving. And if you've been following part of the timeline, that's where some of the last people have seen Harmony was about a week later. Right. So you get Jameson and then about a week later, Harmony is seen. Is that when she had the black eye? I think that was maybe around October. As far as when she was last seen, we've heard some reports maybe around Thanksgiving of

2019. So when we adopted Jameson on National Adoption Day, because I work in TV news, it was something that was covered in Boston extensively on TV. And we just find it very interesting that Jameson was adopted in a very public way right before Thanksgiving. And then his sister last thing one only sees her is maybe a week later. That tells me a lot was going on,

not only for Jameson, but Harmony as well. Now, tell me something. With Jameson's adoption being so high profile, do you think that had anything to do with Harmony's disappearance? I don't know, but I know it's something we shared with police when we started hearing some new reports of when Harmony was last seen being around Thanksgiving of 2019.

My husband and I both went back over our timeline and thought, wow, so Jameson was adopted five days before that? That just seems really unusual. And so we shared that with police. We talked with them about that. And we don't know where that's gone from there, but it certainly raises a lot of questions for us. could be between Jameson getting adopted in a high-profile adoption, which is covered on TV for National Adoption Day extensively, and then within a couple of days, Harmony is never seen again. To Jax Miller joining us from Oxygen.com, author of Hell in the Heartland, Murder, Meth, and the Case of Two Missing Girls.

Jax Miller, again, thank you for being with us. I'm listening to everything Blair Miller, Nicole Hodgeglobe, Dr. Jory Croson, Lisa Daddio are saying. The reality is the time is ticking by. Cops are two years late. They went to the home when the little girl had the black eye. They were there. They went to the home when the little girl had the black eye. They were there. They left her there.

Can you tell me, Jax Miller, was there ever a home study done like you're supposed to do before you hand over custody with Father Adam Montgomery before they just handed up this little girl on a silver platter? Yeah, I spoke to the Manchester Police Department. I was in contact with the spokesperson, Heather Hamill, who confirmed that the police did do a home visit back in 2019 at her Manchester home, and they confirmed that she was there. We know that after that, the house seemingly went into foreclosure. That's on the Guilford Street where they had done the search. So I think it's that timeline from there after they moved. What happened? Who had, you know, I feel like, I feel like Harmony's case is a bar of soap and you have all these people, all these agencies, all these relatives trying to get a grip, but

nobody has a firm grip on where this girl is for the next two years. But a home study, a home study. I mean, Blair Miller, you adopted Jamison, Harmony's little brother. I'm sure they did a home study before you got Jamison, Harmony's little brother. I'm sure they did a home study before you got Jamison, right? Absolutely. When we adopted all three of our boys, after we were placed with them and after we had our adoption, in our case, we adopted there in Boston with Jamison and then we ended up moving to the D.C. area and did social services here in Virginia, coming to our house for six months to make sure we were doing the right thing.

The same as when I was in school. He was going to doctors. He was in a good setting. He had a bedroom. And he was able to sleep healthy and be healthy. And so we went through that. And those are many of the questions we're asking right now is what happened in this case? Why didn't Harmony go through the same thing?

No home study for Harmony. Because you'd think they'd figure out her dad shot somebody in the face and was on dope. I mean, and then you've got Blair Miller, who holds down not just a job, but an incredible job, stable, happy home. He's got three boys now that they have adopted. He can tell you all about home studies. They look at everything everything but nothing was done for harmony thing is is that there were 13 calls made to to harmony's home within a five month period in 2019 and 29 calls between 2018 and 2020 there was a report that the home had no

electricity and no food but then according to authorities when DCYF checked in on the girl, they said there was electricity and there was food. So that adds to the confusion. And of course, enter the next player in this scenario, the so-called evil stepmother. Take a listen to our friend at WMUR, Amy Covino, in our cut 39. These are the criminal complaints filed late this afternoon against 32-year-old Kayla Montgomery. Alleging between November 30th, 2019 and June 2nd, 2021, Kayla fraudulently represented to DHHS that Harmony Montgomery was a member of her household. The

purpose, prosecutors say, was to receive undeserved food stamp benefits in excess of $1,500. The police affidavit provides a timeline of Harmony's life in New Hampshire. On February 25, 2019, Kayla allegedly filed a report with DHHS adding Harmony as a new household member. The affidavit states at a Montgomery, Harmony's father was granted full custody of her February 22nd, 2019. And that DHHS records show 800 EBT card transactions during that time period and state that on three occasions in 2020, Kayla applied for SNAP benefits listing Harmony as a family member. In February 2021, Kayla stopped listing Harmony as a beneficiary for food assistance, and in June 2021, told a DHHS caseworker that Harmony had moved back with her mother

and could be removed from the case. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. So long story short, Nicole DeBoer-Hotchglobe, you're the high-profile lawyer joining us out of Texas. For literally years, this evil stepmother gets government benefits in Harmony's name, knowing Harmony doesn't live there. That doesn't look good. Well, not only does it not look good, it's a crime. So she's receiving funds from the government, effectively stealing from the government by lying about this child living in her home. And I think that now she is in a good position to really think about whether or not she wants to tell the government what she knows, tell law enforcement what she knows, to help everyone

find harmony. I would keep her behind bars on this fraud until she told me something. Guys, take a listen to our cut 33. Now, this is behavioral evidence that a defense team could attack at trial. They claim it means nothing. I think it means a lot. Take a listen to Maura Barrett, NBC News. Adam Montgomery is charged with second degree assault, interference with custody, and endangering the welfare of a child. One of those instances, investigators say Adam struck Harmony in the face, causing a black eye in 2019. Kevin Montgomery, Adam's uncle, was visiting the home around that time. I walked in the house and Harmony had a black eye like you see in a box match between two men. He bashed her around the apartment, kind of with her, with his exact words.

According to court documents, Kevin says he and other family members made multiple reports to New Hampshire's Division for Children, Youth and Families. And I don't know how they missed the black guy that I saw. Police say they found Adam sleeping in his car with his new girlfriend on New Year's Eve. He told police he'd given Harmony back to her biological mother around Thanksgiving back in 2019. Her mother, Crystal Sori, disputes this, according to the court documents. Police say he made some contradictory statements and, quote, did not exhibit much emotion or reaction to the fact that Harmony hadn't been seen in two years. You know, I'll just never forget Lisa Daddio when my son, John David, who's about two and a half, three at the time, went and hid inside a superstore, Babies R Us.

I was looking for this organic sunscreen lotion and was digging through piles of sunscreen. I turned around. There was Lucy and no John David. I started screaming. I tucked Lucy under my arm like a football and started running screaming for them to lock the doors he was hiding about two aisles away thing he had no idea the panic he had called but I caused but I find it really interesting that when they told Adam Montgomery Harmony hasn't been seen in two years he showed

no emotion whatsoever yeah you know it's and i've been in that position too with my youngest son nancy i mean it's the worst feeling in the whole world so there's just so many things um about this case both from biological mom and biological daddy oh wait wait you're a former police lieutenant right yes? Yes, ma'am. Call it. It's BS. It stinks to high heaven. He showed no emotion. I mean, when my cat went missing, I screamed until I couldn't scream. I lost my voice. I couldn't be on the air the next day. I screamed and screamed and looked until midnight until we found the cat.

And he shows no emotion? That's BS. Nancy, I agree with you 100%. But look at this guy's past and his history i'm not making excuses for him trust me i would never do that but i just he's void of everything um and so in light of everything it doesn't shock me but i always think when someone doesn't react the way that we think they should react, what is the reason why? Exactly. Harmony is dead. Investigators say their conclusion is based on recently confirmed biological evidence,

which they didn't reveal. There have been numerous searches of properties associated with Harmony's family, including back in June at a Manchester, New Hampshire apartment where her father, Adam, and stepmother, Kayla Montgomery, once lived. A refrigerator was seen being brought in and then taken out of the building. Still no body has been recovered. Our investigators will continue to seek justice and look into the circumstances of Harmony's murder and search for her remains. And no one has yet been charged. Adam Montgomery, who had custody of

Harmony at the time of her disappearance, is now jailed on a charge of assaulting the little girl and unrelated firearms charges. You were hearing our friends at CBS Boston just then. There, 603-203-6060. Please help us bring home Jameson's sister. Take a listen now to our friend Jason Law at Boston 25. What do you think happened to Harmony? The answers lie in him. Tuesday, Boston 25 spoke with Harmony's maternal grandfather, Tim Flanagan. He says his daughter was estranged from Adam Montgomery. Court documents show the mother last spoke to her daughter sometime in the spring of 2019. A lot of people may wonder, you know, why wasn't the mom more involved?

Why didn't she see Harmony in the last two years? Because the father would not let her. Every time that he didn't let her, she would call the Department of Social Services and Social Services would say one thing. Yes, we'll get on it. And they never did. Why is it, Nicole DeBoer, Hotch Globe, that Department of Family and Children's Services cannot be held accountable. I've been asking that for many, many years when they leave children in horrible situations, and then the child is murdered. Here's a great example, the Josh Powell case, where Susan Powell goes missing, and the children draw pictures of mommy in a car trunk and being buried by daddy and then he still has visitation and he murders them and blows up the house. I mean, it goes on and on and on about how children

are mistreated and DFAX does nothing. Why aren't they prosecuted, Nicole? Well, I think that they could be and there is immunity when you're a government agency from certain types of liability. But when you exceed this type of negligence, I think there's a real question about whether or not there is now the possibility of seeking redress for civil rights violations, for due process rights violations. She's dead. And they left her in an abusive home. Civil money. What money? What money does Adam Montgomery have? I mean, money from defects? I think they need to go to jail, Nicole. Well, the problem is that finding one particular individual liable

could be extremely difficult in a criminal context. And it may take a civil lawsuit to get the agency to pay attention. You know, look, I look at Crystal here as another victim. I mean, she did everything she could to alert this system that she thought that there was a problem. She'd lost custody. They continued to treat her like trash and ignore everything that she said despite the fact that she gave them multiple warnings well you're right about that she did according to her she sent multiple emails to department of family children services which they ignored they discounted her because she had had problems in the past but they do that to a lot

of people totally blow them off, don't pay any attention to what they're saying, and the child ends up dead. She's not alone. Neighbors called, the uncle called, the uncle called police to the home, and still nothing was done, and DFAC sits on their thumb and lets it happen,

and now she's gone. Again, the tip line 603-203-6060. Harmony, where are you? Nancy Brace, Crime Story, signing off. Goodbye, friend. This is an iHeart Podcast.