A Woman Vanished for 2 Years. Now, Someone She Knew Has Admitted Pushing Her Off a Cliff
Loretta Carr was sentenced to life in prison plus 20 years for murder and kidnapping in the death of 37-year-old Mary Beth Isbell
Christine Pelisek
Fri, February 6, 2026 at 10:09 PM UTC
2 min read
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Loretta Carr was sentenced to life in prison plus 20 years for murder and kidnapping in the death of 37-year-old Mary Beth Isbell
Carr's daughter Jessie Kelly pleaded guilty in August and was sentenced to 40 years in prison
Isbell was allegedly pushed off a cliff in a Alabama national park
An Alabama woman was sentenced to life in prison for her role in the death of a woman who was kidnapped and pushed off a cliff.
Loretta Carr was also sentenced to 20 additional years for kidnapping in connection with the 2021 death of 37-year-old Mary Beth Isbell, the District Attorney for the Ninth Judicial Circuit announced on Friday, Feb. 6.
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Carr pleaded guilty to first-degree kidnapping and murder on Thursday, Feb. 5, AL.com reported, citing court records.
Carr’s daughter Jessie Kelly pleaded guilty to murder in August 2025 and was sentenced to 40 years in prison, per WAFF.
According to prosecutors, Carr and Kelly went to Isbell’s home to “confront her because of a relationship she had with Carr’s significant other” on Oct. 18, 2021. The two allegedly attacked Isbell, took her against her will and dragged her inside a vehicle, prosecutors said, citing statements and forensic evidence discovered at Isbell’s residence.
Later that night, they drove to Wolf Creek Overlook at Little River Canyon in Fort Payne where Carr “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,” per a Ninth Judicial Circuit press release.
DeKalb County Sheriff's Office; Cherokee County Sheriff's Office
Isbell’s body was discovered two years later in the canyon beneath the overlook.
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Isbell was reported missing in December 2021, per ABC31.“This is an example of a senseless act destroying a family,” prosecutor Summer Summerford said in the press release. “A mother is left without a daughter, sisters are left without their sibling, and a son is left without his mother."
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"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.”
Isbell owned her own remodeling business and was the mother of a teen boy, her family said, according to ABC31.
Read the original article on People