Loretta Carr and Jessie Kelly are a mother daughter pair of killers who would be convicted of the murder of Mary Beth Isbell
According to court documents Loretta Carr and Jessie Kelly would go to the home of Mary Beth Isbell in Alabama where the mother and daughter pair would confront Isbell over her relationship with Carr boyfriend. Well the talk would no go well and the mother and daughter would beat the victim before placing her in their vehicle
Loretta Carr and Jessie Kelly would drive to Wolf Creek Overlook at Little River Canyon National Park where the mother and daughter pair would basically push her off of a cliff. Mary Beth Isbell body would not be found for eighteen months
Loretta Carr and Jessie Kelly would be arrested and charged with capital murder
Jessie Kelly would eventually plead guilty to murder and would be sentenced to forty years in prison
Loretta Carr would also plead guilty to murder and would be sentenced to life in prison
Loretta Carr and Jessie Kelly Case
A woman was sentenced to life in prison after she was found guilty of forcing a woman off the side of a canyon in DeKalb County.
Loretta Carr was sentenced Thursday, February 5 for the 2021 murder of Mary Beth Isbell, and 20 years in prison for the kidnapping of Isbell, according to DeKalb County District Attorney Summer Summerford.
Authorities said on the night of October 18, 2021, Carr, along with her daughter, Jessie Kelly, went to Isbell’s residence to confront her over a relationship she had with Carr’s significant other.
According to statements, as well as forensic evidence at the scene, authorities said that Carr and Kelly attacked Isbell, took her against her will, and placed her in their vehicle.
Later that night, authorities claimed Carr and Kelly took Isbell to Wolf Creek Overlook at Little River Canyon.
Authorities said Carr then tied herself with a rope to the barrier at the overlook, forced Isbell to climb over the barrier, and then forced her off the side of the canyon.
Isbell’s remains were found in the canyon beneath the overlook.
“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,” stated Summerford. “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,” added Summerford. The case was prosecuted by Summerford, Assistant District Attorney Matt Green, and Deputy District Attorney Brady Burns.
North Alabama woman sentenced to life in prison for forcing woman off cliff
Loretta Carr and Jessie Kelly News
An Alabama woman has pleaded guilty to pushing another woman off a cliff and killing her.
Loretta Kay Carr, who will turn 46 on Saturday, was initially charged with capital murder in the 2021 slaying of 37-year-old Mary Elizabeth “Beth” Isbell.
Carr on Thursday pleaded guilty to first-degree kidnapping and murder, according to court records. She was sentenced to 20 years on the kidnapping conviction, and to life on the murder conviction.
The sentences will be served consecutively, a judge ordered.
Carr’s daughter, 24-year-old Jessie Eden Kelly, pleaded guilty to murder in August 2025 and was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Loretta Carr was set to go on trial next month.
Isbell disappeared in November 2021.
Her remains were found in June 2023 in Little River Canyon National Park. The discovery was made on would have been her 39th birthday.
Isbell was reported missing by her ex-husband on Dec. 27, 2021. Detectives with Hartselle police used phone records to determine she had been living in the DeKalb County area on Lookout Mountain.
The discovery of her remains came after a tip in June 2023.
Authorities believe Isbell’s death occurred sometime between the evening of Oct. 18 and the early morning of Oct. 19, 2021.
The three women knew each other through a man, an investigator said following Carr’s arrest.
At a press conference following the identification of Isbell’s body, investigators said they suspected her remains were somewhere in the area of the park, but they were unsure of its exact location. They found it after receiving information from one of the suspects, an investigator said in June.
Deputies said a search warrant of Isbell’s DeKalb County residence showed signs of a struggle.
Months later, a credible tip, witness statements, and one of the defendant’s statements led investigators to charge Carr and Kelly in Isbell’s death, DeKalb County Chief Investigator Nick Brown told The Decatur Daily previously.
Brown, who said Isbell’s cause of death appeared to be a result of being thrown from the cliff, previously said it’s one of the most “heinous” cases of his career.
