Escaped Killer Captured After Getaway Truck Gets Stuck

A convicted murderer who escaped from a Tennessee prison was captured in Missouri on Tuesday after his suspected getaway truck became stuck off a county road, ending a manhunt that lasted more than a week.

Missouri State Highway Patrol

Jacob Allen Morley, 28, was taken into custody by a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper at approximately 11:34 a.m. Tuesday in Carroll County, about 60 miles east of Kansas City, according to authorities. He was more than 450 miles from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee, where officials discovered he was missing on October 25.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation received a tip early Tuesday that Morley had been spotted hiding in a shed at a hunting camp near Marion, Illinois. Investigators then used the license plate of a vehicle he was believed to have stolen from the property to help track him down.

At approximately 9:30 a.m., Tennessee investigators alerted Missouri authorities that Morley might be traveling westbound on Interstate 70 near Independence, just outside Kansas City. The Missouri State Highway Patrol located the suspected getaway vehicle using Flock cameras, which use automated license plate readers to identify and track vehicles.

A Kansas City Police Department helicopter then spotted the truck traveling along Missouri Route 210 and then Route 10. Officers from multiple agencies moved into the area, believing Morley could be armed with several weapons. Authorities said the truck contained three firearms.

After turning onto a small county road in Carroll County, Morley’s vehicle became stuck off the roadway. A Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper then approached and arrested him without incident. Authorities said there was no confrontation or active pursuit before the capture.

Morley’s escape was discovered around 11:30 p.m. on October 25 at the Northwest Correctional Complex. Surveillance footage later showed him breaching the prison’s perimeter fence and leaving the facility in his prison uniform. Authorities have not publicly explained how he managed to get through the fence.

Investigators said Morley stole a white 2008 Ford F-350 shortly afterward. That truck was later found abandoned in Marion, more than 120 miles from the prison. Investigators believe he subsequently stole the vehicle from the hunting camp.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation had placed Morley on its Most Wanted list and warned the public that he should be considered dangerous. The reward for information leading to his capture reached $17,500.

Morley was serving a life sentence after being convicted in 2025 of first-degree murder in the 2022 killing of his former co-worker, Cody Birchfield. He was also convicted of abuse of a corpse, aggravated burglary and tampering with evidence.

Birchfield disappeared in February 2022 after last being seen in Elizabethton, Tennessee. Investigators eventually discovered his body inside a large metal box beneath Morley’s home. Court records indicate Birchfield had been shot in the back of the head. Morley claimed self-defense during his trial, while his former girlfriend testified that he had told her he killed Birchfield.

Carrie Norman, Birchfield’s sister, had warned during the manhunt that Morley was dangerous, particularly if he obtained a weapon. In a statement Tuesday afternoon, she thanked law enforcement officers and members of the public who followed the case.

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