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Suffolk prosecutors charged three generations of Bayport women Tuesday in connection with the death of 7-year-old Jor’Dynn Duncan, who authorities say died from injuries inflicted during months of systematic torture and abuse.
Emily Kelly, 50, was indicted on second-degree murder and other charges. Her mother, Barbara Renner, 75, faces second-degree manslaughter charges. Kelly’s daughter, 24-year-old Elyssa Seymore was charged with first-degree unlawful imprisonment.
Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney called Jor’Dynn’s abuse and death a case of “prolonged torture, abuse, and the brutal murder of a defenseless, innocent child.”
Kelly called 911 on Dec. 29 at 10:30 a.m., reporting the child was in cardiac arrest, authorities said. Paramedics took Jor’Dynn to NYU Langone Hospital-Suffolk in Patchogue, where she was pronounced dead.
Jor’Dynn suffered dozens and dozens of injuries
An autopsy revealed approximately 90 injuries on the child’s body. The cause of death was a massive untreated infection from sharp force injuries, according to the Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Kelly was the fiancée of Jor’Dynn’s father, prosecutors said, nd Suffolk County Child Protective Services placed the child with her in December 2024 at Kelly’s request.
In April 2025, Kelly gained full custody and guardianship.
Cops: photos of abuse on defendant’s phone
Investigators recovered extensive photo and video evidence from Kelly’s phone and cloud accounts allegedly documenting abuse dating back to January 2025, prosecutors said. The evidence showed prolonged restraint, physical injuries and lack of medical care.
Jor’Dynn missed some 40 days of school between January and June 2025. Kelly allegedly fabricated excuses involving illnesses, family deaths, and a Disney World trip to conceal the abuse.
The GoFundMe campaign
A GoFundMe campaign created in February 2025 raised $2,500 for the child’s funeral and family expenses.
The fundraising page mentioned family members, but made no reference to the women charged in Jor’Dynn’s death.
“Jor’Dynn was deeply loved and will be forever cherished by her mother, Portia Duncan, her father, Derrick Dixon, her grandmother, Melinda Duncan, and all of the family and friends whose lives she touched,” the crowd-funding page says.
Suffolk Supreme Court Justice John Collins arraigned the grandmother, mother and daughter on Wednesday. Kelly is being held on $5 million cash bail and faces 25 years to life if convicted. Renner was ordered held on $50,000 cash bail and faces five to 15 years behind bars. Seymore, who faces up to four years in prison, is being held on $25,000 cash bail.
The three women are due back in court on June 23.
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