A convicted murderer serving a life sentence escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee, prompting an active multi-state manhunt after he slipped through a perimeter fence, stole a heavy-duty pickup truck, and fled northward.
How Jacob Morley Escaped Northwest Correctional Complex
Prison officials at the Northwest Correctional Complex realized 28-year-old Jacob Allen Morley was missing during an emergency count at approximately 11:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 25, 2026.
Investigators reviewing facility security cameras confirmed that Morley breached the perimeter fence and exited the facility while still wearing his Tennessee Department of Correction uniform. While officials have acknowledged the breach via surveillance footage, authorities have not released specific details explaining how Morley managed to bypass or slip through the prison fence. The facility, located in an isolated rural area of Lake County near a bend in the Mississippi River, has a maximum operating capacity of 1,776 male inmates ranging from minimum to close custody levels. In 2023, an audit of Tennessee prisons found that the Department of Correction was struggling to fill open positions at the north-west complex and recorded a 61% vacancy rate for correctional officers in that fiscal year.
UPDATE 10:00 a.m. CDT – TDOC continues to work in close coordination with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to apprehend inmate Jacob Allen Morley #674793. For more information: https://t.co/yOgNp9UnWs pic.twitter.com/evXTiXkexo
Morley Stole a White Ford F-350 Truck
At around 1:00 a.m. on Monday, October 26, surveillance cameras captured him stealing a white 2008 Ford F-350 bearing Tennessee license plate 138BBQV, shortly after he walked roughly two miles south to the 400 block of Keystone Drive.
The vehicle featured an air compressor in its bed and displayed a Lindamood Planting Company logo on the driver’s side door. Following the theft, investigators tracked the vehicle through multiple checkpoints as the escapee moved away from the facility. John Lindamood provided security video images showing Morley opening the unlocked driver’s side door of the truck before driving off from the farm property near Tiptonville.
- 1:00 a.m. Monday: Morley steals the Ford F-350 from a property in Lake County.
- 1:18 a.m. Monday: The vehicle passes in front of the Hornbeak Fire Department in neighboring Obion County, roughly 15 miles from the correctional complex.
- Early Monday: Cameras spot the same truck driving through the nearby town of Troy.
- Tuesday Morning: The abandoned truck is recovered by investigators in Marion, Illinois, roughly 120 miles north of the prison.
Morley Served Life for Killing a Co-Worker
Morley was serving a life sentence for the 2022 killing of his co-worker, Cody Birchfield, in Carter County, Tennessee. Birchfield was reported missing in February 2022. When investigators searched Morley’s property, they discovered the victim’s body hidden inside a box beneath Morley’s home.
When local deputies attempted a traffic stop on March 2, 2022, to arrest Morley in connection with the disappearance, he led police on a vehicle chase that crossed state lines into North Carolina. Officers deployed spike strips to disable his vehicle before a police dog captured him in the woods following a crash. Along with his first-degree murder conviction, a jury found him guilty of aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, vandalism, and evading arrest.
TBI Adds Morley to Most Wanted List
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation added Morley to the state’s Most Wanted list, designating him as considered dangerous. Authorities have offered a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to his arrest. Law enforcement agencies from multiple states, including the Tennessee Highway Patrol utilizing aviation assets, joined the search effort after the stolen truck turned up in southern Illinois.
Residents across the region have been urged by investigators to check home security systems, including doorbell cameras and trail cameras, for any late-night footage of Morley or the stolen Ford truck. Officials cautioned the public not to approach him under any circumstances.
#TNMostWanted: Jacob has been added to our state’s Most Wanted list and should be considered dangerous.There is a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to his arrest. Spot him? Call 1-800-TBI-FIND #TNMostWanted https://t.co/fsaI0jWZaX pic.twitter.com/hYPV7VRUHz
If you spot Morley or the vehicle, do not approach. Call 911 or 1-800-TBI-FIND immediately.
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, via Newsweek
The escape marks the second time within a week that an inmate slipped away from Tennessee Department of Correction custody, following the brief escape of a Nashville inmate who walked away from a hospital visit before being recaptured within hours.
For victims’ families, the incident brought acute distress. Carrie Norman, the sister of Cody Birchfield, told TMZ that her family was never notified of the escape by law enforcement or through the Victim Information and Notification Everyday system, learning about it instead through a close friend.
UPDATE: New video shows escaped inmate Jacob Allen Morley stealing a white 2008 Ford F-350 (TN tag 138BBQV) around 1 a.m. today from the 400 block of Keystone Dr. in Lake County. If you spot Morley or the vehicle, do not approach. Call 911 or 1-800-TBI-FIND immediately. pic.twitter.com/C8M3VB2jwa
Where is Jacob Morley now, and how did he bypass the prison fence?
More on Northwest Correctional Complex
UPDATE – 1 p.m.:#TNMostWanted The truck stolen by escaped inmate Jacob Allen Morley has been found abandoned in Marion, IL. Morley’s location remains unknown.If you have any info, call 1-800-TBI-FIND.If you see him, call 911 immediately — do not approach. pic.twitter.com/Zlayx4JmzG
UPDATE 1:44 p.m. – TDOC is asking for assistance locating escaped inmate Jacob Allen Morley. Morley has been added to the @TBInvestigation Most Wanted list, and a reward of up to $2,500 is available for information leading to his arrest. Read more: https://t.co/Elk6AjaIHS pic.twitter.com/KopkBieixu
MANHUNT: A convicted killer serving life for murder escaped a Tennessee prison, stole a pickup truck, and vanished — triggering a multi-state search that has now reached Missouri.Jacob Allen Morley breached the perimeter fence at the Northwest Correctional Complex in… pic.twitter.com/afi3EhB8ng
Authorities are searching for Jacob Allen Morley, a convicted murderer who escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Lake County, Tennessee, on October 25, 2026#WANTED pic.twitter.com/pF4howOTMr