DEKALB COUNTY, Ala. — UPDATE: The second woman charged in the death of Mary Elizabeth "Beth" Isbell is in jail in Alabama. Jessie Eden Kelly was arrested and booked into the Cherokee County Jail on July 16. She had previously been charged with Capital Murder. A preliminary hearing is set for Kelly in DeKalb County on August 21. Court documents show that Kelly's attorneys have asked that her preliminary hearing be held separately from her co-defendent, Loretta Kay Carr. Carr was also charged with Capital Murder in the case.
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After almost two years, a local family has some answers on a missing woman. On December 27, 2021, Mary Elizabeth "Beth" Isbell was reported missing to the Hartselle Police Department by her ex-husband. According to the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office, detectives with Hartselle PD used phone records to determine Beth was living in the DeKalb County area on Lookout Mountain and who some of the people were that she was speaking with at the time. Investigators believe her death happened around October 18 or 19, 2021 based on witness and co-defendant statements.
A search was conducted at that location and Jacksonville State University’s Center for Applied Forensic processed the location of her vehicle.
The sheriff's office says that physical evidence from her home showed signs of a struggle and was treated as a crime scene. Some of that evidence was entered into a national database; however, no match was found at that time. Throughout the investigation, numerous leads were received and checked by law enforcement and volunteers, without any success.
On Tuesday, June 20, 2023, DeKalb County Investigators a tip about the disappearance of Mary Elizabeth Isbell. It names people investigators had been looking into earlier in the investigation. They determined it to be credible and after search warrants were performed and individuals were interviewed, two arrests were made in the connection with the murder of Mary Elizabeth Isbell. DeKalb County Sheriff Nick Wheldon says that it appears that her death was caused by bring thrown off a cliff and called it "heinous and brutal.
Statements from witnesses and co-defendants led to the arrests of two women in the case. One of the co-defendants led investigators to Mary's remains. According to DeKalb County Sheriff Nick Wheldon, all of the women knew each other and appear to be connected through another person identified as a "boyfriend". None of the people currently involved in the case are from DeKalb County.
Loretta Kay Carr, 45, of Fort Payne, was arrested on the evening of Sunday, June 25, 2023, by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office Special Response Team for Capital Murder.
Jessie Eden Kelly is currently in custody in Pennsylvania awaiting extradition to Missouri on felony charges. A detainer was placed on Jessie Eden Kelly with Pennsylvania and Missouri for Capital Murder from DeKalb County Alabama.
Carr is Kelly's mother.
On Wednesday, June 28, 2023, remains were found at the Little River Canyon National Park by a search team, consisting of Fischer Rescue Squad, DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office, Fort Payne Police and Fire personnel, Investigators with the District Attorney’s Office and law enforcement with the National Park Service. Once remains were located, Jacksonville State University’s Center for Applied Forensics were contacted to document and recover the remains. The remains were sent to the Alabama Department of Forensic Science’s Huntsville Laboratory for an examination and identification.
On Friday, June 30, 2023, which would have been Mary Elizabeth Isbell’s 39th birthday, the remains were positively identified by the Alabama Department of Forensic Science as that of Mary Elizabeth Isbell.
DeKalb County Sheriff Nick Welden said of the incident: “We would like to thank the Pennsylvania State Police Corry Barracks, Huntsville Search Dog Unit, State of Alabama Aviation Unit, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Fischer Rescue Squad and all the volunteers who helped during this investigation for all their hard work and dedication. Each individual played an important role in bringing Beth home and holding those responsible for this horrific crime accountable. We would ask that you pray for Beth’s family and give them privacy as they navigate through this difficult time.”
