DeKalb County, Alabama — A woman facing charges of kidnapping and pushing a missing individual off a cliff was denied youthful offender status on Thursday.
Jessie Eden Kelly faces capital murder charges in connection with the death of Mary Isbell. Loretta Carr, the mother of Kelly, faces charges of capital murder in connection with Isabell’s death.
On Thursday morning, Kelly was present in a courtroom in DeKalb County for a hearing related to youthful offenders.
Authorities were alerted about Isbell’s disappearance by her former spouse, who contacted both the Hartselle Police Department and the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO). Her last sighting occurred in November 2021. Isbell was said to have family in Hartselle, but his most recent residence was in DeKalb County.
Allegations have been made against Carr, claiming he kidnapped Mary Isbell in October 2021.
On June 28, 2023, authorities reported that a search team discovered remains at Little River Canyon National Park. The remains discovered at the canyon have been confirmed as belonging to Mary Elizabeth Isbell by the Huntsville Laboratory of the Alabama Department of Forensic Science.
Criminal complaints reveal that both Carr and Kelly are accused of having deliberately caused Isbell’s death by pushing her off a cliff.
DCSO Chief Investigator Nick Brown characterized the actions of the women towards Isbell as “inhuman and brutal.”
Brown mentioned that one of the women assisted and guided authorities to Isbell’s remains.
Kelly was apprehended in Pennsylvania and subsequently transported back to Alabama, where she was processed at the Cherokee County Jail on July 22, 2023.
Carr was taken into custody on June 25, 2023. The state is pursuing capital punishment for Carr.
Officials report that the charges of capital murder arise from several additional laws being violated during the incident, including kidnapping.