New Hampshire social workers ignored a litany of warning signs

New Hampshire social workers ignored a litany of warning signs that a 5-year-old girl was being physically abused by her father prior to the child’s death, the slain girl’s mother alleged in a negligence lawsuit filed Friday against the state. Crystal Sorey says the state’s Division for Children, Youth and Families failed to act on numerous reports from multiple people about Harmony Montgomery’s welfare after father Adam Montgomery was awarded custody of the girl in February 2019. Adam Montgomery was sentenced in May to a minimum of 56 years in prison after he was convicted of murder. Her body was never found. The lawsuit details concerns people raised about Harmony’s welfare under her father’s care. According to the lawsuit, the father’s uncle Kevin Montgomery contacted the agency to tell them Harmony had a “vibrant” black eye after she was “punched clear in the eye socket with full force” and that Adam had told him he’d “bounced her off” every wall in the house.  “This is why children die,” Kevin Montgomery told the agency worker in frustration. The agency also received concerning reports about the household from neighbors and other people, according to the lawsuit, but failed to take appro