Authorities launch manhunt for convicted killer who escaped from Tennessee prison

Authorities in Tennessee launched an intense manhunt for a convicted murderer who they said escaped from a state prison, stole a work truck and remains on the loose.

Jacob Allen Morley, 28, escaped from the state’s Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville sometime before he was reported missing at 11:30 p.m. Sunday, prison officials said in a statement Monday.

“Further review of security cameras confirmed Morley breached the perimeter fence and exited the facility in his TDOC uniform,” the Tennessee Department of Correction said in a statement.

By 1 a.m. Monday, he is alleged to have stolen 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.

Tiptonville is near the Mississippi River and the state line with Missouri. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation placed Morley on its most-wanted list and asked residents of the city to check for any video they may have of him.

“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.

Security video shows a man in a beanie walk around the rear of the vehicle to the driver’s side door of the flatbed truck. It then shows the truck’s windshield wipers moving before the truck is driven away.

Morley is 5 feet, 11 inches tall and weighs 240 pounds, the Correction Department said.

It said a reward of up to $2,500 is available to anyone who has information leading to his capture. Anyone who sees him is asked to immediately call 911 or 1-800-TBI-FIND.

Morley fatally shot his co-worker Cody Birchfield, 34, in the back of the head in 2022, according to court documents shared by the Carter County Clerk’s Office. Birchfield’s body was found in a large metal box under Morley’s residence, the documents say.

Morley was convicted in February 2025 and sentenced to life behind bars.

He was also convicted of abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence and aggravated burglary — the latter for stealing tools from the victim, according to the court documents.

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Morley was described at trial as a “loner,” the clerk’s office said. He claimed self-defense and said he had mental health issues, including bipolar disorder.