Convicted murderer Jacob Morley escapes Tennessee prison
Manhunt spans three states after perimeter breach caught on camera, stolen truck found abandoned in Illinois
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A manhunt spanning Tennessee, Kentucky and Illinois entered its fourth day as authorities searched for Jacob Morley, a 28-year-old serving a life sentence for first-degree murder who walked out of a state prison on Sunday night. The reward for information leading to his arrest has been raised to $15,000 — split between the Tennessee Governor's Office, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Staff at the Northwest Correctional Complex confirmed Morley was unaccounted for at roughly 11:30 pm on October 25, after which an emergency count and search of the facility was conducted. Security camera review showed he breached the perimeter fence and left in his Department of Corrections uniform. Surveillance video from a nearby farm, released by the TBI, shows him opening the unlocked driver's side door of a truck and driving off around 1 a.m. Monday. Firefighters in Hornbeak, about 19 kilometers east, said their cameras caught the truck passing their station 15 minutes later.
By Tuesday afternoon, the TBI announced the stolen truck had been found abandoned in Marion, Illinois — roughly 350 kilometers north of the prison. Marion Police Chief David Fitts told NBC News that Morley has no known connection to the town, that leads suggest he has already moved on, and that there have been no confirmed sightings.
Morley is serving a life sentence for convictions in Carter County including first-degree murder, aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, evading arrest and vandalism. According to the Associated Press, he killed co-worker Cody Birchfield in 2022; the body was found in a box.
The escape comes down to a fence, an unlocked truck, and a 90-minute head start before anyone reviewed the cameras.