Tennessee authorities are searching for Jacob Allen Morley, a 28-year-old serving life in prison for murder, who escaped the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville late Sunday by getting through the perimeter fence, and was still at large early Tuesday.
The Tennessee Department of Correction said Morley was found to be unaccounted for at about 11:30 p.m. Sunday. "Further review of security cameras confirmed Morley breached the perimeter fence and exited the facility in his TDOC uniform," the department said, according to NBC News. Officials have not said how he got through the fence.
The stolen truck
By about 1 a.m., Morley allegedly stole a white 2008 Ford F-350 flatbed truck with Tennessee plates and a Lindamood Planting Company logo on the door, CBS News reported. Surveillance video released by investigators shows a man in a beanie walking to the driver's door before the truck pulls away.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation added Morley to its most wanted list and is offering a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to his arrest. It urged people near where the truck was taken to "check home security systems, including doorbell cameras and trail cameras." He is described as 5 feet 11 inches tall and 240 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes. Anyone who sees him should call 911 or 1-800-TBI-FIND, and the TDOC posted a notice on the escape on Monday.
Who he is
Morley was convicted in February 2025 of killing his co-worker, Cody Birchfield, 34, in 2022, according to Carter County court records cited by NBC. Prosecutors said he shot Birchfield in the back of the head. Birchfield's body was found in a large metal box under Morley's home in Carter County after he had been missing for a few weeks.
Morley was also convicted of abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence and aggravated burglary, the last for stealing tools from the victim, NBC reported. In 2022 he led deputies on a chase that ended in North Carolina, CBS said. At trial he claimed self-defense and said he has mental health problems, including bipolar disorder.
Our timeline
Sunday, about 11:30 p.m: Officials realize Morley is unaccounted for.
After review: Cameras show him going through the perimeter fence in uniform.
Early Monday, about 1 a.m: Surveillance video shows a white Ford F-350 flatbed stolen near Tiptonville.
Monday: TDOC asks the public for help, TBI lists him as most wanted.
Tuesday morning: Morley still at large, reward up to $2,500.
By the reported times, roughly 90 minutes passed between the moment the prison noticed he was missing and the truck theft. That gap matters. A head start measured in hours, in a stolen vehicle, near the Missouri state line, turns a local search into a multistate one. CBS described the search as a multistate manhunt.
A prison under strain
The Northwest Correctional Complex sits in a rural area near a bend in the Mississippi River, about 90 miles north of Memphis. It can house 1,776 men, the department says. CBS noted that a July grand jury returned dozens of indictments tied to five inmate murders and assaults at the facility, and that a 2023 state audit found a 61% vacancy rate for correctional officers there that fiscal year.
What escape adds
Escape is a separate felony in Tennessee, so if Morley is caught he can expect new charges on top of his life sentence, along with charges tied to the stolen truck. Any capture outside the state would also raise the question of how he is returned, which we explained in How Extradition Works Between States and Countries. For background on how a jury weighs a self-defense claim like the one Morley raised at trial, see Stand Your Ground, Explained by Defense Lawyers.
This is a developing story, and details may change as the search continues.
Two Taps News stories summarize reporting and the analysis discussed on Two Taps and Friends. They are not legal advice. Read our standards.
