Body of 7-year-old Jor'Dynn Duncan exhumed amid torture death investigation, attorney says
Attorney Heather M. Palmore told News 12 that her client, Portia Duncan, granted authorities permission to exhume Jor'dynn's body as part of the investigation into the child's alleged torture and killing by her legal guardian.
A Bayport child's body has been exhumed as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into allegations that she was tortured before her death, according to her mother's attorney.
Jor'dynn Duncan was 7 years old when she died just days after Christmas last year.
Attorney Heather M. Palmore told News 12 that her client, Portia Duncan, granted authorities permission to exhume Jor'dynn's body as part of the investigation into the child's alleged torture and killing by her legal guardian.
An autopsy of Joy'dynn found she died from a massive untreated infection caused by sharp-force injuries, prosecutors said.
The Suffolk County Medical Examiner's Office documented about 90 injuries on her body.
Her father's fiancée and legal guardian, Emily Kelly, has been charged with murder. Kelly's mother, Barbara Renner, and daughter, Elyssa Seymore, have also been charged in connection with the case.
Prosecutors say evidence of maltreatment was identified as early as Jan. 17, 2025. They allege that after Kelly gained full custody of Jor'dynn in April 2025, the abuse escalated.
Jor'dynn had been placed in the home by a judge under New York's Kinship First policy, which prioritizes placing children who need foster care with relatives or close family friends.
The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office said of the exhuming, "As this is an open case, there is no additional information to provide at this time."
Palmore says a lawsuit is expected to be filed Nov. 9, and more details will be released then.
