An Alabama woman has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the kidnapping and murder of a woman involved with her partner. The victim was pushed off a cliff in a tragic turn of events.

On February 5th, Loretta Carr was handed a life sentence following her conviction for the 2021 murder of Mary Beth Isbell. In addition, she received a 20-year sentence for kidnapping, as detailed in a press release from the Alabama District Attorney’s Office. Carr admitted guilt to both first-degree kidnapping and murder, according to court documents sourced by Oxygen. Her sentences are to be served consecutively.

Carr’s daughter, Jessie Kelly, who aided in the crime, accepted a plea deal for a reduced charge of murder in 2025, court documents show. As a result, Kelly was sentenced to 40 years behind bars.

The violent incident unfolded on October 18, 2021, when Carr and Kelly confronted Isbell at her home over her relationship with Carr’s partner. The pair assaulted Isbell, forcing her into their vehicle, and drove her to Wolf Creek Overlook at Little River Canyon, near Fort Payne.

According to the press release, “Carr tied herself with a rope to the barrier at the overlook,” and coerced Isbell to climb over it, ultimately pushing her off the canyon’s edge.

Authorities have strongly denounced the brutal murder of Isbell.

“This is an example of a senseless act destroying a family,” District Attorney of the 9th Judicial Circuit 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.”

Back in Dec. 2021, Isbell’s ex-husband reported her missing, according to the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office. It wasn’t until June 2023 that Isbell’s remains were found in the canyon; two days later—on what would have been Isbell’s 39th birthday—authorities positively identified those remains as that of Isbell.

A spokesperson from the office of Carr’s attorney declined to comment when asked by Oxygen. An attorney for Kelly could not be located.