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Body of 7-year-old girl exhumed as ghoulish adoptive family charged in torture killing

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Last updated: October 20, 2026 8:57 pm
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Published: October 20, 2026
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Investigators exhumed the body of a 7-year-old Long Island girl as a ghoulish family entrusted to care for the kid face charges in her death, the family attorney said.

Second grader Jor’Dynn Duncan was allegedly tormented for over a year by her since-arrested Bayport caretakers – a woman, her mom and grandmother — before she died in December, Suffolk County prosecutors have said.

Jor’Dynn’s body was removed from her resting place over the summer with family permission for further examination, said lawyer Heather Palmore.

Jor’Dynn Duncan, a little girl whose three caretakers are accused of abusing her to death, had her body exhumed for further investigation.

“We want to make sure that the district attorney is able to do their job,” Palmore told The Post Tuesday. 

“Then, once they do whatever they need to on their end, I’m sure they’ll share with us any findings that they have.”

A 2024 custody dispute placed Jor’Dynn in the home of 50-year-old Emily Kelly, the fiancée of her father, Derrick Dixon, a convict serving a four-year state prison sentence for an attempted burglary.

Emily Kelly was charged with second degree murder in Duncan’s death. Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office
Portia Duncan is seen with her daughter, Jor’Dynn. Portia Duncan / Facebook

Jor’Dynn’s mom, Portia Duncan, objected, but Kelly, now charged with second-degree murder, was given full custody of the elementary schooler in April 2025.

The child died as a result of untreated “sharp force injuries” that spanned back almost an entire year with close to 90 noticeable stab wounds, prosecutors said. 

Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney in May called what the three did “months of alleged systematic cruelty and sadistic abuse, meticulously documented.

“The child was allegedly left to die while these defendants watched her deteriorate,” Tierney said.

Kelly’s mom, Barbara Renner, 75, and daughter, 24-year-old Elyssa Seymore, were also charged with raps that include assault and unlawful imprisonment.

Grandma Barbara Renner, Kelly’s mother, was also cuffed in connection to Duncan’s death. Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office
Emily Kelly’s daughter, Elyssa Seymore, was also arrested on related charges. Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office

Portia Duncan sued Suffolk County in July and is seeking $250 million in wrongful death damages.

Her legal team argues that county Child Protective Services and the Department of Social Services failed to keep proper tabs on Jor’Dynn’s health and well-being.

Court papers also accuse the Bayport-Blue Point School District of not raising appropriate concern over the girl missing 40 days of school and failing to report “outwardly obvious physical signs of abuse.”

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