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 murdering his daughter and moving her corpse around for months before disposing of it. Police believe Harmony was killed by him nearly two years before she was reported missing in 2021. Her body was never found.

  • foggy@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Which victim did I blame?

    There is one victim here. Pretty sure I didn’t blame the dead child.

    • girlfreddy@lemmy.caOP
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      2 months ago

      The wife is a victim as well as she lost her child.

      Or do you think that a parent losing their child to murder doesn’t have any effect on them whatsoever?

      • foggy@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        I think without knowing why she lost the child, it’s not right to call her a victim before the child. For all you know, she was worse than him. Which, stands to reason.

        Until I know, there is one victim. Your stance is conjecture. Mine is withholding judgement with reason. I won’t go into gender politics of custody and why there are red flags to begin with here; until we know why she lost custody to this (now) clear piece of shit and not to foster care…

        There is one victim (dead child). And one culprit (the state).

        Should the mother have been a decent mother, drug addicted but loving and providing, not abusive, etc, the there are two victims, and two counts against the state.

        I am not going to jump to conclusions, especially when the available evidence (the fact that she lost custody to a deadbeat lunatic) suggests otherwise.

        The mother could equally be a perpetrator or a victim. We don’t know yet.

          • foggy@lemmy.world
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            2 months ago

            No, I have remained purposely impartial.

            Protip, don’t try and become a lawyer.

            We have no evidence to sway us between “mom was worse than dad” and “mom is a victim”. (In fact the available evidence suggests mom was so bad that dads psychopathic character didn’t shine through as less safe from Mom than foster care. I’ve been generous to Mom given this and, again, not going into gender politics of custody battles…).

            I understand you’re trying to be empathetic. I’m trying to preserve justice for a tortured, dead child. Until we don’t know mom wasnt worse, we remain impartial.

            You may be right, mom may be a victim. But you may be doing a dead child a severe disservice. Withhold your judgement without facts present, please.

            Was Dad’s cousin the DA? that changes things. We dont know. And until we do, we examine the available evidence.

            Until more evidence is presented publicly, mom is not a victim. That doesn’t mean she can’t be, and I have left that window open. On purpose.

            The known victim is a dead child. We proceed with respect to known victims so as to remain impartial.

            • girlfreddy@lemmy.caOP
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              2 months ago

              I used to be an investigator for a child and family services agency.

              Please stop trying to tell me who is a victim and who isn’t.

              • foggy@lemmy.world
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                2 months ago

                There is one victim here until we know more.

                Stick to child services and dont get into law.