A convicted murderer serving a life sentence is on the run in Tennessee after slipping through a prison fence late on Sunday night and stealing a pickup truck, triggering a large-scale manhunt that was still under way on Tuesday.
Jacob Allen Morley, 28, was discovered missing from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville at about 11:30 p.m. on October 25, the Tennessee Department of Correction said. An emergency count and search followed, and security camera footage later showed Morley breaching the perimeter fence and leaving the facility in his prison uniform. How exactly he got through the fence remains unclear, officials said.
The stolen truck and the trail
By about 1 a.m. on October 26, Morley was recorded stealing a white 2008 Ford F-350 from the 400 block of Keystone Drive, about two miles south of the prison, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI). The truck carries the name Lindamood Planting Company, has an air compressor in its bed, and bears Tennessee license plate 138BBQV. The Hornbeak Fire Department, about 15 miles from the prison, captured the truck passing its building at about 1:18 a.m., and the vehicle was also reported seen in Troy.
Who Morley is — and why police say he is dangerous
Morley is serving a life sentence for the first-degree murder of Cody Birchfield, who was reported missing in February 2022. Birchfield's body was later found in a box under Morley's house, according to the Associated Press and the Carter County Sheriff's Office. Morley was also convicted of aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, evading arrest and vandalism, and previously led police on a chase that ended in North Carolina. He stands 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighs about 240 pounds, and has brown hair and green eyes, prison officials said. The TBI has added him to its Most Wanted list and is offering a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to his arrest. Officials say he should be considered dangerous, and anyone who spots him or the truck should call 911 or 1-800-TBI-FIND.
A second escape in a week
Morley is the second inmate to escape from Tennessee Department of Correction custody in the past week, according to CNN, raising fresh questions about security at the state's facilities. The Northwest Correctional Complex can hold up to 1,776 male inmates. The Tennessee Highway Patrol has deployed troopers and aviation assets, local officers have cleared structures near the prison, and residents have been urged to check home security and trail cameras for sightings.
The takeaway: Until Morley is caught, the warning to western Tennessee is simple — do not approach him, note the white Ford F-350 with plate 138BBQV, and call police immediately.
Watch: Local news report on the manhunt for escaped murderer Jacob Morley in Tennessee.
Music in this post's reel: Kevin MacLeod - Movement Proposition (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 3.0
Sources: CNN, Times Now World, QNC News.