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Left: Loretta Kay Carr (Dekalb County (Ala.) Sheriff”s Office). Right: Jessie Lee Kelly (Cherokee County (Ala.) Sheriff’s Office.) Inset: Mary Elizabeth Isbell (Hartselle (Ala.) Police Department).
A woman from Alabama faces a life sentence following a disturbing incident where she, along with her daughter, abducted her romantic adversary and pushed her off a cliff at a national park.
The DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office confirmed that Loretta Carr was handed a life sentence for the murder of Mary Beth Isbell. In addition, she received a 20-year sentence for the kidnapping charge. Carr admitted guilt to charges of first-degree murder and kidnapping on Thursday.
On the evening of October 18, 2021, Carr, accompanied by her daughter Jessie Kelly, confronted Isbell at her home regarding a personal dispute involving Carr’s relationship with Isbell’s partner. The confrontation escalated into a violent abduction, with Isbell being forced into their vehicle. They then drove her to Wolf Creek Overlook at Little River Canyon National Park, located about 75 miles southeast of Huntsville.
According to prosecutors, Carr secured herself with a rope to the overlook’s barrier, coerced Isbell to climb over, and subsequently forced her off the canyon’s edge.
Isbell was reported missing by her ex-husband in December, but her remains were not discovered by authorities until approximately 18 months later.
As Law&Crime has previously reported, Carr, then 45, and Kelly, then 22, were charged in 2023 with Isbell’s murder.
Isbell’s remains were found on June 28, 2023, and were positively identified two days later, on what would have been her 39th birthday.
Her disappearance remained a mystery for years until DeKalb County investigators received credible information in June 2023, leading to Carr and Kelly’s arrests shortly thereafter.
Kelly pleaded guilty last year. She was originally charged with capital murder but pleaded to the lesser charge of murder — which was announced the day her trial was supposed to start. Kelly was expected to testify against her mother if the case went to trial. She was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
“This is an example of a senseless act destroying a family. A mother is left without a daughter, sisters are left without their sibling, and a son is left without his mother,” District Attorney Summer Summerford said. “This family has been through so much, but they have walked with us and law enforcement throughout this process and have been so responsive and helpful. Please continue to pray for this family as they continue to figure out how to go through life without their loved one.”