Three Long Island women were arrested on Wednesday after they spent months systematically torturing a 7-year-old girl who later died, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office.
For the last year of her life, Jor'Dynn Duncan was under the care of 50-year-old Emily Kelly, the fiancée of the girl's father. In December 2024, Suffolk County Child Protective Services placed Jor'Dynn with Kelly because her father was in prison.
Now, Kelly faces a slew of charges, the most serious being second degree murder, after Jor'Dynn was taken out of her Bayport home on December 29, 2025, suffering from about 90 sharp force injuries on her body, according to the medical examiner's office.
The autopsy performed by the medical examiner showed that the girl died from 'a massive untreated infection' stemming from her dozens of injuries.
Prosecutors say Kelly, her 24-year-old daughter Elyssa Seymore and her 75-year-old mother Barbara Renner all lived in the same Bayport house where the alleged torture occurred. All three were named as co-defendants in a grand jury indictment. At their arraignment hearings, they pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.
'This was not an alleged single act of violence. It was months of alleged systematic cruelty and sadistic abuse,' said Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney. 'The child was allegedly left to die while these defendants watched her deteriorate. No child should ever endure such horror, and we will seek justice for Jor’Dynn.'
Kelly, who got full custody of Jor'Dynn in April 2025, was portrayed as the ring leader of the abuse by authorities.
To cover for Jor'Dynn missing around 40 days of school between January 2025 and June 2025, Kelly allegedly cooked up a grab bag of excuses, including illnesses, deaths in the family and even a trip to Disney World.
Jor'Dynn died after she was abused for months by the three women who were tasked with taking care of her while her father was in prison, according to prosecutors
Emily Kelly, the 50-year-old fiancée of the girl's father, allegedly documented the abuse, with investigators saying they found 'extensive photographic and video evidence' on her phone. She faces the most serious charges, including second degree murder
Pictured: The Bayport home investigators say Jor'Dynn was tortured in for months on end
Investigators say they recovered 'extensive photographic and video evidence' of the prolonged abuse on Kelly's devices and cloud-based accounts.
The abuse included prolonged restraint, physical injuries and a lack of medical care, according to the district attorney's office.
On December 29, Kelly called 911 at around 10:30am to report that Jor'Dynn had gone into cardiac arrest, authorities said.
Paramedics were dispatched to Kelly's home, where they found Jor'Dynn unconscious. She was rushed to NYU Langone Hospital-Suffolk and was pronounced dead upon arrival.
Kelly is facing the most serious charges. Beyond second-degree murder, which alone carries a penalty of 25 years to life, she has also been charged with reckless endangerment, unlawful imprisonment and three counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
Kelly's attorney, John LoTurco, told Oxygen.com in a statement that Kelly denies the charges against her.
LoTurco also suggested that the sharp force injuries described by prosecutors are the result of Jor'Dynn harming herself.
'Jor’Dynn’s life was marked by significant hardship, including the loss of custody by her mother and the incarceration of her father,' he said.
Kelly's 24-year-old daughter Elyssa Seymore was charged as well and faces up to four years in prison
Kelly's mother, Barbara Renner, was charged with one count of second degree manslaughter and one count of endangering the welfare of a child. She faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted
'Following her placement in foster care, she experienced profound psychological struggles, including self-harm, which we believe are relevant to the circumstances surrounding this tragic loss. Our firm is committed to representing Emily with the utmost dedication and vigor so that the truth is brought to light,' LoTurco added.
Renner, Kelly's mother, was charged with one count of second degree manslaughter and one count of endangering the welfare of a child. She faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
Renner's attorney, Danielle Coysh, told Oxygen that her client suffers from dementia and was not the care giver to Jor'Dynn.
Seymore, Kelly's daughter, was charged with one count of unlawful imprisonment and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child. She faces a maximum of four years in prison if convicted.
Her attorney, Katherine Fernandez, said Seymore denies the allegations against her, adding that the charges of unlawful imprisonment stem from a three-day period in July 2025. Fernandez did not elaborate on what happened during those three days.
All three women are due in court on June 23.