Three women charged in the death and alleged torture of a girl on Long Island
Three women were arrested in after being accused of subjecting a girl to alleged abuse and torture for months that ended up causing her death.
Three women were arrested on Long Island after prosecutors accused them of participating in a long-running abuse case against a 7-year-old girl who later died from an untreated infection.
The victim was identified as Jor'Dynn Duncan, who lived under the care of Emily Kelly, his father's fiancée.
The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office reported that the child was removed from a home in Bayport on December 29, 2025 in critical condition and died shortly after at a hospital.
The autopsy revealed dozens of wounds and severe infection
According to the forensic report, the girl had around 90 wounds caused by sharp objects in different parts of her body.
Authorities indicated that the cause of death was a “massive untreated infection” resulting from these injuries.
Prosecutors maintain that the alleged abuse occurred for months inside the home where Emily Kelly, her daughter Elyssa Seymore, 24, and her mother Barbara Renner, 75, lived.
All three were indicted by a grand jury and pleaded not guilty during their court appearances.
Suffolk County Prosecutor Raymond Tierney stated that the case does not correspond to a single act of violence, but to a pattern of “systematic cruelty and sadistic abuse.”
Authorities maintain that Emily Kelly assumed full custody of the child in April 2025 and was primarily responsible for the child's care.
The investigation also revealed that the accused allegedly invented multiple excuses to justify about 40 school absences of the girl between January and June 2025, including illnesses, family deaths and alleged trips.
Detectives recovered photos and videos of the alleged abuse
Investigators said they found “extensive photographic and video evidence” on electronic devices and digital accounts belonging to Emily Kelly.
The prosecution indicated that the evidence shows episodes of prolonged restraint, physical injuries and lack of medical care.
On December 29, Kelly called emergency services to report that the girl had gone into cardiac arrest.
Paramedics transported Jor'Dynn Duncan to NYU Langone Hospital-Suffolk, where she was pronounced dead.
Emily Kelly's defense assured that the accused denies all charges.
Her lawyer stated that some of the injuries could have been caused by self-harming behavior of the minor, who was supposedly going through psychological problems related to previous family situations.
For its part, Barbara Renner's defense argued that the woman suffers from dementia and was not the girl's direct caregiver.
The defendants will return to court in June
Emily Kelly faces charges of second-degree murder, false imprisonment, reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of a minor.
Barbara Renner was charged with involuntary manslaughter and child neglect, while Elyssa Seymore faces charges of false imprisonment and child endangerment.