Woman Pushed Mom Off Cliff After Kidnapping Her: Police

When crimes are committed, sometimes it takes years for investigators to piece together the puzzle of what exactly happened. Such is the case of Mary Elizabeth Isbell, 37, a mother who went missing in Hartselle, Alabama in late 2021. For almost two years, investigators were looking into her disappearance without identifying the crime or the suspect. However on Sunday, an arrest was finally made and someone has been charged with murder. 

 Loretta Ray Carr, 43, of Fort Payne, Alabama, had been arrested and charged with Isbell's murder, according to DeKalb County Sheriff's Department. Police believe that on October 18, 2021, Carr pushed the mother to her death off a cliff after kidnapping her. 

According to the police report, Isbell was last seen by her family in November 2021 – which is a month after police maintain the murder occurred. She reportedly visited her mom on November 23, 2021 and was seen the next day across the street from her son's school. She wasn't declared a missing person until early 2022. 

Isbell's remains haven't been located. According to  WAAY 31, DeKalb Country Sherriff's deputies are searching for the body. "DCSO along with several other Law Enforcement entities and Emergency Services personnel are currently on the scene of an undisclosed location attempting to recover possible human remains. At this point, no other information is available," DeKalb County Sheriff Nick Welden announced this week. "The case is top priority and further information will be released when available and no risk of jeopardizing the case is considered."

In court documents obtained by AL.com, Carr's attorneys point to the lack of evidence against her. It is still unclear if there was a connection between the women. 

"I actually hate to put this out here on social media but Facebook covers a wide area. [her son] hasn't heard from his mom since September 6th on his birthday and he's really worried about her bc she always at least calls him on the holidays," Steven Isbell, the father of Isbell's children, wrote on December 27, 2021. "I've talked to her family and no one has heard from her. So we thought about doing a missing person report."

At the time of her disappearance, Isbell was living with her boyfriend James Allen Wright, who had previously been arrested for theft. "I think she got mixed up with some wrong people," her mother, Debbie Wood, told the local news channel in 2022.