A mother and daughter from Fort Payne charged with capital murder for allegedly pushing a Hartselle woman off a cliff are deliberately being held in separate jails following the extradition of the daughter from Pennsylvania, according to a DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson.

This week, a judge granted the mother’s request to view crime scenes with her attorneys.

The mother, Loretta Kay Carr, 45, was arrested on June 25 after DeKalb County investigators executed search warrants related to new information they received about the Hartselle woman, who had been missing since December 2021.

The daughter, Jessie Eden Kelly, 22, was in custody in Pennsylvania at the time of Carr’s arrest awaiting extradition to Missouri on felony charges. Kelly has since been extradited to Alabama to face the capital murder charge, according to a DeKalb County sheriff’s spokesperson.

A multi-agency search team discovered Mary Elizabeth Isbell’s remains in Little River Canyon National Preserve in late June, around what would have been Isbell’s 39th birthday. She had been reported missing by her ex-husband to the Hartselle Police Department almost two years earlier.

At the time of the report, Hartselle police were able to determine Isbell was in DeKalb County based on phone records, according to the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office. 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, according to DeKalb County Chief Investigator Nick Brown.

“One of the co-defendants was very cooperative and helped lead us to Mary’s remains,” Brown said. The suspects and the victim were acquaintances via “a boyfriend,” according to Brown.

In September of last year, a Jackson County judge, believing Kelly to reside in Alabama, issued a warrant for her arrest for allegedly fleeing justice from Missouri. According to court documents, Kelly was accused of second-degree theft in Missouri in May 2022.

Kelly was booked into the Cherokee County Jail on July 22 by DeKalb County deputies. A sheriff’s spokesperson said Kelly was extradited from Pennsylvania and is deliberately being held separate from her mother.

Around 30 miles to the north, Carr remains in the DeKalb County Jail where she’s been held since June 25.

An investigator’s affidavit filed in DeKalb County District Court alleges Carr and Kelly caused the death of Isbell on or around Oct. 18, 2021.

They did so “by pushing her off a cliff” and “during her abduction or attempt to abduct,” according to the affidavit.

Carr’s court-appointed defense lawyers have filed several motions on her behalf. In early July, motions for a gag order and to prevent broadcasting or recording court proceedings were granted by Judge Andrew Hairston.

In the motion to prevent anyone connected to the prosecution or investigation from releasing any information to the media, Carr’s attorney noted that the prosecution is seeking the death penalty. As such, Carr’s attorney argued for effective protective measures.

“A substantial likelihood exists that continued extrajudicial comments of the type previously made by the district attorney, law enforcement, and witnesses will taint the jury pool in this case,” the motion reads.

Two motions requesting law enforcement bodycam footage involving Carr’s daughter and a man named Robert Mitcham were also granted.

A motion to allow Carr and her attorneys to view the crime scenes within 30 days was filed and granted on Sunday. According to the request, Carr’s defense attorneys view it necessary in order to provide effective assistance of counsel:

“The facts of this case make it impossible for Loretta Kay Carr to describe the scene to her attorneys in sufficient detail to enable counsel to adequately investigate the scenes of the alleged crime without her presence. The scenes encompass Wolf Creek, Robert Mitcham’s homestead, and the alleged victim’s mobile home.”

Brown, who said Isbell’s cause of death appeared to be a result of being thrown from the cliff, said it’s one of the most “heinous” cases of his career.

Little River Canyon National Preserve sits atop Lookout Mountain and covers around 15,000 acres near Fort Payne.

A Facebook profile of a Loretta Carr engaged to a Robert Mitcham shows photos of the two at Little River Canyon in 2019. One of Carr’s profile photos is a selfie taken from a raised angle: In the background, far below a cliff overhang, a river runs through a wooded ravine.

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