Investigators exhumed the body of 7-year-old Jor’Dynn Duncan over the summer to aid the prosecution of three relatives now charged in her torture killing, her family’s attorney revealed.
Heather Palmore, who represents Jor’Dynn’s biological mother in a $250 million lawsuit against Suffolk County, confirmed the exhumation was carried out with family permission for further examination. The second grader had been buried after dying in December from untreated “sharp force injuries” that prosecutors say spanned nearly a year.
“We want to make sure that the district attorney is able to do their job,” Palmore told The Post on 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,” she added.
The child had been placed in the Bayport home of 50-year-old Emily Kelly, the fiancée of her father, Derrick Dixon, following a 2024 custody dispute. Dixon, a convict serving a four-year state prison sentence for attempted burglary, was not in a position to care for the girl himself.
Jor’Dynn’s mother, Portia Duncan, had objected to the placement. Despite her protests, Kelly was granted full custody of the elementary schooler in April 2025.
Kelly now faces a second-degree murder charge. Prosecutors allege she tormented the child for more than a year before her death, with close to 90 noticeable stab wounds marking the prolonged abuse.
Kelly’s mother, Barbara Renner, 75, and her daughter, 24-year-old Elyssa Seymore, were also arrested and charged with assault and unlawful imprisonment.
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney in May described the case as “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.
Portia Duncan filed suit against Suffolk County in July, alleging that county Child Protective Services and the Department of Social Services failed to monitor Jor’Dynn’s health and well-being. Her legal team contends that systemic failures allowed the abuse to continue unchecked.
Court papers also name the Bayport-Blue Point School District, accusing officials of failing to report “outwardly obvious physical signs of abuse” and not raising concern when the girl missed 40 days of school.
The exhumation represents a critical step in building the criminal case against Kelly, Renner, and Seymore as prosecutors prepare to present evidence of the alleged year-long torment.
The custody decision that placed Jor’Dynn with Kelly came despite Portia Duncan’s objections and her father’s incarceration, raising questions about the factors that led to the placement.
The civil lawsuit seeks to hold multiple institutions accountable for what Duncan’s attorneys describe as missed opportunities to intervene.
The criminal case continues to develop as investigators analyze evidence gathered from the exhumation, with Palmore indicating that findings will eventually be shared with the family.