A MISSING girl's little brother celebrated his sister's eighth birthday with his family by eating cake and letting pink balloons fly into the sky.
Harmony Montgomery, whose birthday was Tuesday, was last seen in Manchester, New Hampshire in 2019, but her disappearance wasn't reported until the end of December 2021.
The ensuing seven-month search for Harmony has been unfruitful and possibly stymied by her biological father and his girlfriend, who were both arrested on separate charges.
The case has frustrated local police, depressed the community and challenged the resolve of Harmony's loved ones.
But Harmony's five-year-old brother Jamison, his adopted dads Blair and Johnathon Miller, and older brothers haven't given up hope that she's alive and they'll be reunited.
Blair Miller shared a video of a smiling, baby-face Jamison in front of a cake that read, "Happy Birthday Harmony" in pink icing.
HARMONY MONTGOMERY
In the video, Jameson said, "Harmony, I hope you have a good birthday, big sister," and blew her a kiss.
Then they released eight pink balloons with messages on them telling her how much they love her.
"While Jamison may not know the uncertainties surrounding his sister right now, he knows she is loved, missed and hopes these words of love find her," Blair said.
"Johnathon and I would love to read how you celebrate her today. We will keep all these happy memories to share with Jamison when he's old enough to understand so he can see the good in this world."
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The brother-sister duo were inseparable while they bounced around the foster care system, and Harmony always looked out for Jamison.
Harmony's biological mother Crystal Sorey has been outspoken in finding her daughter, who was given to her biological father Adam Montgomery by Child Protective Services in 2019.
Sorey said she last saw Harmony over Facetime around Easter 2019.
She likely disappeared sometime between November 28 and December 10, 2019 while they were living in a car, according to the New Hampshire Attorney General's office.
BAD ODORS AND 'SQUATTER-LIKE HOME'
Sorey isn't a suspect, according to police, but Montgomery and his wife Kayla, who was with him when Harmony vanished, were both arrested in January on separate charges.
Adam was accused of assaulting Harmony shortly before her disappearance and also faces misdemeanor charges of interference with custody and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
The father has a violent past and allegedly "bashed (Harmony) around the house," forced her to scrub the toilet with her toothbrush and stand in the corner for hours during a drug a relapse, according to a probable cause affidavit.
A January 2020 police report described a "very bad odor" coming from the home which was why the door was open.
Kayla was arrested shortly after Adam and charged with one felony count of theft by deception and two misdemeanor counts of welfare fraud.
This week, Kayla was accused of perjury, a charge that she pleaded not guilty to.
As more time passes, the situation gets bleaker and the case grows more mysterious.
In mid-March, Adam's ex-girlfriend Kelsey Small was found dead in the same city where Harmony went missing.
Her death isn't considered suspicious, according to Manchester police, but they didn't release any other information because it's part of an ongoing investigation.
She dated Harmony's father Adam Montgomery for over a year but told police she never knew about Harmony, according to court documents.
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"We don't know what she knew, if she knew anything or the details about what happened to her," said Blair Miller, Harmony's brother's adopted father told The Sun.
"When my husband and I heard about it, it stopped us dead in our tracks. It's a tragic loss. How many people's lives are going to be ruined in this case?"