Prosecutors said Jor’Dynn Duncan suffered months of alleged abuse before she died in December.

RIVERHEAD, N.Y. — Three generations of a Bayport family were indicted in the death of 7-year-old Jor’Dynn Duncan, who prosecutors said was abused for months and died from an untreated infection after a false Disney World excuse helped keep her out of school.

The case centers on what Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney called a long pattern of alleged abuse inside the home where Jor’Dynn had been placed. Emily Kelly, 50, faces a second-degree murder charge. Kelly’s mother, Barbara Renner, 75, faces second-degree manslaughter. Kelly’s daughter, Elyssa Seymore, 24, faces unlawful imprisonment. All three also face related child endangerment or restraint charges.

Prosecutors said Kelly was the fiancée of Jor’Dynn’s father and took the child into her Bayport home in December 2024. By April 2025, Kelly had gained full custody and guardianship, according to the district attorney’s office. Investigators said the abuse was already being recorded by January. Tierney said the evidence showed more than a single violent outburst. “This was not an alleged single act of violence,” Tierney said. “It was months of alleged systematic cruelty and sadistic abuse, meticulously documented.” The case was presented to a grand jury before the women were arrested in May.

The emergency call came Dec. 29, 2025, at about 10:30 a.m., when Kelly reported that Jor’Dynn was in cardiac arrest, prosecutors said. Paramedics found the child unconscious and took her to NYU Langone Hospital-Suffolk, where she was pronounced dead. The Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s Office later found that Jor’Dynn died from a massive untreated infection caused by sharp force injuries. The medical examiner documented about 90 injuries on her body. Court filings later described at least 90 recent injuries, at least 20 older injuries and scars that investigators believed were caused by whipping with a cord.

The medical findings led Suffolk County police homicide detectives to examine the home, phones and online accounts tied to the defendants, prosecutors said. Investigators said they recovered photo and video evidence from Kelly’s phone and cloud-based accounts showing prolonged restraint, visible injuries and a lack of medical care. Prosecutors said the material dated back to January 2025 and showed Jor’Dynn getting worse over time. Authorities have not publicly released the recordings. They also have not said whether anyone outside the home saw the material before the child’s death. The charges remain accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

School absences became another part of the investigation. Prosecutors said Jor’Dynn missed about 40 days of school between January and June 2025. Kelly allegedly gave school officials different reasons, including illness, deaths in the family and a trip to Walt Disney World. Investigators said the excuses helped hide the child from people who may have noticed injuries or changes in her condition. The Bayport-Blue Point school superintendent said the district remained heartbroken and profoundly saddened as the community continued to process Jor’Dynn’s death. Officials have not publicly said what reports, if any, were made before the fatal 911 call.

Each defendant is accused of a different role. Kelly, who had custody, is charged with second-degree murder, reckless endangerment, unlawful imprisonment and endangering the welfare of a child. Renner is charged with second-degree manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child. Prosecutors said Renner could be heard singing in the background of one video as Jor’Dynn struggled. Seymore is charged with first-degree unlawful imprisonment and endangering the welfare of a child. Prosecutors said Kelly and Seymore discussed alleged efforts to cover up Jor’Dynn’s injuries. Seymore’s attorney has said her client has no prior criminal history, denies the allegations and is not charged with causing Jor’Dynn’s death.

Suffolk Supreme Court Justice John Collins arraigned the women after the indictment was announced. Kelly was ordered held on $5 million cash bail and faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted of the top charge. Renner was ordered held on $50,000 cash bail and faces five to 15 years if convicted of the manslaughter charge. Seymore was ordered held on $25,000 cash bail and faces up to four years if convicted of the unlawful imprisonment charge. Their next scheduled court date is June 23.

The case has also raised questions about how Jor’Dynn came to live in Kelly’s home. Prosecutors said Suffolk County Child Protective Services placed her with Kelly at Kelly’s request in December 2024 before Kelly gained custody in April. Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine later disputed that description in local reporting, saying the child was placed there by a Family Court judge. No full public review of the placement decision had been released by June 19. The difference matters because it could shape any later inquiry into which agencies or court actors had responsibility for checking on the child.

Family members have described Jor’Dynn as a loved child whose death left relatives with painful questions. Local reporting said loved ones remembered her smile, her laugh and a voicemail left shortly before she died. A fundraising page for funeral and family expenses said Jor’Dynn would be cherished by her mother, Portia Duncan, her father, Derrick Dixon, her grandmother, Melinda Duncan, and other relatives and friends. Those memories now sit beside a criminal case built on medical records, digital files, school absences and the final 911 call from a Bayport home.

The three defendants remain due back in court June 23, when the case is expected to continue in Suffolk County. Prosecutors have said they will seek justice for Jor’Dynn while defense attorneys review the indictment and the evidence gathered during the homicide investigation.

Author note: Last updated June 19, 2026.