Girl, 7, Stabbed 90 Times and ‘Left to Die’ in New York After Months of Abuse; Three Women Charged

The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office indicted three generations of women on May 20 over the death of a seven-year-old girl under their care. A medical examiner's report ruled the case a homicide after several blunt force injuries were found on her body. Authorities confirmed that the cause of her death was an untreated infection from these wounds.

However, court documents revealed that the killing was not a single act of violence against the child. The three women continuously abused her over the course of one year. These were the people who were supposed to care for her. A CBS News report said that one suspect documented the abuse on personal devices.

Jor’Dynn Duncan was placed in the care of her father’s fiancée, Emily Kelly, after Kelly gained full custody and guardianship in April 2025. Reports show that while Duncan’s mother lost custody, her father remained incarcerated. The child then lived with Kelly, her mother, Barbara Renner, and her daughter, Elyssa Seymore, at a Bayport residence on Long Island.

In December 2025, Kelly dialled 911 and reported that Duncan was in cardiac arrest. When officials arrived, they found the child unconscious. Duncan was later declared dead at a hospital.

Investigators became suspicious after the coroner’s report identified a major, untreated wound dating back nearly a month. Duncan had 90 penetrating wounds on her body.

After launching an investigation, authorities said Duncan was abused for nearly a year by Kelly, Renner and Seymore. Prosecutors alleged the case involved prolonged abuse and that the accused inflicted repeated harm on the child. Kelly documented some of these incidents, according to court records.

During that time, the child was intentionally kept out of school. Kelly and her family provided multiple reasons, including illnesses, a death in the family and a supposed trip to Disneyworld. On the day Duncan died, she was beaten and left to deteriorate and die as the family looked on.

The Suffolk County District Attorney said the case showed prolonged abuse and called for accountability.

The prosecutor said, “This was not an alleged single act of violence. It was months of alleged systematic cruelty and sadistic abuse, meticulously documented. 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.”

Prosecutors charged Emily Kelly with murder, reckless endangerment, unlawful imprisonment and endangering the welfare of a child. Barbara Renner, 75, was charged with manslaughter, while Seymore, 24, faces charges of unlawful imprisonment.