Jacob Morley, a man serving a life sentence for murder, escaped from Tennessee’s Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, and authorities say he remains on the run. Residents in the area are being urged to check their cameras and stay alert while law enforcement searches for him.
The Tennessee Department of Correction said officials discovered Morley was unaccounted for at approximately 11:30 p.m. Sunday. Investigators reviewed security footage and saw him get through a fence while wearing his prison uniform. Officials have not released additional details about how he managed to breach the fence. Apparently, a prison fence was not much of a barrier after all.
Morley is 28 years old. Authorities describe him as 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighing approximately 240 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes. Prison officials have offered a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to his arrest.
Law enforcement agencies have searched buildings and other structures near the prison. The Northwest Correctional Complex is located roughly 90 miles north of Memphis, in a rural area near a bend in the Mississippi River and close to Missouri. That setting may be isolated, but it also gives residents plenty of reason to take the warnings seriously.
Morley was sentenced to life in prison for killing his co-worker, Cody Birchfield, in 2022. Birchfield’s body was found in a box beneath Morley’s Carter County home after he had been missing for several weeks. Morley was also convicted of first-degree murder, aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, vandalism and evading arrest.
When deputies went to Morley’s home in 2022, authorities said he led police on a chase that ended in North Carolina. His latest escape has now triggered another search, this time involving local law enforcement, the Tennessee Department of Correction and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
Authorities said Morley allegedly stole a white Ford F-350 flatbed truck in Tiptonville around 1 a.m. Monday. The city has about 3,500 residents and is roughly 100 miles north of Memphis. An update identified the truck as a white 2008 Ford F-350 with Tennessee tag 138BBQV, reportedly taken from the 400 block of Keystone Drive in Lake County.
Security footage shows a man wearing a beanie walking around the rear of the vehicle toward the driver’s side door. The footage then shows the truck’s windshield wipers moving before the vehicle is driven away. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has placed Morley on its most-wanted list and asked residents to review home security systems, doorbell cameras and trail cameras for possible sightings.
“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.
Anyone who spots Morley or the truck should not approach. Authorities are asking people to call 911 or 1-800-TBI-FIND immediately. With a convicted murderer serving a life sentence now outside prison and allegedly behind the wheel of a stolen truck, this is not the time for anyone to play amateur detective.
Leave a Comment