Three generations of women were arrested after a seven-year-old girl died with over 90 injuries on her body — and investigators uncovered photos and videos documenting the alleged abuse inside their Long Island, New York home.
Jor’Dynn Duncan was abused and tortured inside the Bayport, New York, home of 50-year-old Emily Kelly — who had custody of the child — by Kelly, her mother and her daughter, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Kelly, who is the fiancée of Jor’Dynn’s father, had Child Protective Services place Jor’Dynn in her care in December 2024, before gaining full custody of her in April 2025.
Investigators say Jor’Dynn suffered prolonged and extensive abuse that was captured in photos and videos on Kelly’s cellphone and other cloud-based digital accounts, dating to January 2025. The torture included prolonged restraint, physical injuries and withholding medical care for those injuries, prosecutors said.
The little girl missed 40 days of school between January and June 2025, which investigators believe was due to the abuse.
Kelly allegedly blamed her absences on illnesses, deaths in the family and a trip to Disneyworld, the district attorney’s office said.
On December 29, 2025, Kelly allegedly called 911 to report that Jor’Dynn was in cardiac arrest, prompting paramedics to rush the unresponsive seven-year-old to a nearby hospital, where she later died.
Police began investigating after an autopsy determined the little girl died from a “massive untreated infection” caused by approximately 90 sharp force injuries, prosecutors said.
“This was not an alleged single act of violence. It was months of alleged systematic cruelty and sadistic abuse, meticulously documented,” Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said. “The child was allegedly left to die while these defendants watched her deteriorate,” he said. “No child should ever endure such horror, and we will seek justice for Jor’Dynn.”
Kelly was indicted Wednesday for murder, reckless endangerment, unlawful imprisonment and endangering the welfare of a child. She is being held on $5 million cash bail or a $10 million bond.
Kelly’s mother, 75-year-old Barbara Renner, and her daughter, 24-year-old Elyssa Seymore, were also indicted.
Renner was charged with second-degree manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child. She is being held on $50,000 cash or a $500,000 bond. Seymour was charged with unlawful imprisonment and endangering the welfare of a child, and was ordered held on $25,000 cash bail or $250,000 bond.
All three women are due back in court June 23.
