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Huge manhunt underway after convicted murderer escapes from Tennessee prison
A huge manhunt is now underway after a convicted murderer escaped from a Tennessee prison.
The Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) announced that Jacob Morley, 28, was discovered missing from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville at around 11:30PM on Sunday (October 25).
A review of security footage later confirmed that Morley had breached the prison's perimeter fence and escaped while still wearing his prison uniform, officials said.
By around 1AM on Monday, it is believed that the inmate stole a white Ford F-350 flatbed truck in the city of about 3,500, about 100 miles north of Memphis, state law enforcement and corrections officials said.
Authorities have not released any other details, including how Morley got through the fence.
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Authorities release footage of suspected getaway vehicle
Tiptonville is near the Mississippi River and the Missouri state line.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has urged residents of the city to look for any videos they may have of the prisoner.
"Residents are urged to check home security systems, including doorbell cameras and trail cameras, for any sightings of Morley or the stolen truck," the bureau said in a statement.
One security video shared online captures a man, presumably Morley, donning a beanie and walking around the rear of the car to the driver’s side door of the truck.
It then shows the vehicle's windshield wipers moving before the truck is driven away.
Morley was serving a life sentence
TDOC has described Morley as being 5 ft 11 and 240lbs with green eyes and brown hair.
The 28-year-old was sentenced to life after fatally shooting his 34-year-old co-worker, Cody Birchfield, in the back of the head in 2022.
Birchfield's body was found buried in a large metal box under Morley’s residence, the Associated Press reported.
Along with first-degree murder, Morley has been convicted of aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, evading arrest, and vandalism.
The inmate also led police on a chase that ended in North Carolina after he saw deputies at his home in 2022.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has placed Morley on its "Most Wanted" list and is offering a reward of up to $2,500 for information that leads to his arrest.
"Do not attempt to apprehend this fugitive," TDOC said in a statement, adding that any information on his whereabouts should be reported to TDOC at (844) 832-3463.
The Northwest Correctional Complex, where Morley was being held, can house up to 1,776 male inmates.
His escape comes more than a year after a manhunt was launched after 10 detainees broke out of a New Orleans jail in May 2025.
All 10 escapees, who got out of the jail through a hole in a wall behind a toilet, have since been recaptured.