Life-sentence inmate steals truck after slipping through Tennessee prison fence
Jacob Morley, 28, is on the run after escaping Northwest Correctional Complex on Sunday night, and a $2,500 reward is offered for his capture.
By Pedro Tanaka ·
A man serving life in prison for murder escaped from a facility in northwest Tennessee on Sunday night.
Jacob Morley, 28, slipped through the fence at the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville. He was wearing his prison uniform at the time, according to security footage reviewed by investigators.
The Tennessee Department of Correction announced around 11:30 p.m. Sunday that Morley was unaccounted for. Authorities have not released specific details on how he breached the perimeter.
Surveillance tape released by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation shows Morley stealing a white 2008 Ford F-350 at approximately 1 a.m. on Tuesday. The truck has Tennessee plates and bears the logo for Lindamood Planting Company. Investigators said the vehicle was taken from Lake County.
Morley remains on the bureau's most wanted list. Officials are offering a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to his arrest. The bureau asked residents in the area to check home security systems, doorbell cameras, and trail cameras for sightings of the suspect or the truck.
Law enforcement has searched buildings and structures near the prison. The facility sits in a rural area about 90 miles north of Memphis, near the Mississippi River bend close to Missouri. Morley is 5-foot-11 and weighs 240 pounds. He has brown hair and green eyes.
Morley was sentenced to life in 2022 for killing his co-worker, Cody Birchfield. Birchfield's body was found in a box under Morley's home in Carter County after a few weeks of him being missing. Morley was also convicted of aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, vandalism, and evading arrest. He led deputies on a chase that ended in North Carolina before his arrest.
The prison has faced issues with staff vacancies and violence in recent years. A 2023 audit found a 61% vacancy rate for correctional officers at the facility. In July, a grand jury returned dozens of indictments for five inmate murders and assaults. The facility is designed to house 1,776 men.
Source: WJZ-TV
