WATCH: Convicted Killer Escapes Prison, Triggers Multi-State Manhunt

A convicted murderer serving a life sentence escaped from a Tennessee prison and stole a pickup truck during his getaway, prompting a multistate manhunt as authorities warn the public not to approach him.

Jacob Allen Morley, 28, was discovered missing from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee, at approximately 11:30 p.m. Sunday, according to the Tennessee Department of Correction. Surveillance footage showed Morley breaching the prison’s perimeter fence and leaving the facility in his prison uniform. Officials have not disclosed how he got through the fence.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation later released surveillance footage showing Morley allegedly stealing a white 2008 Ford F-350 at approximately 1 a.m. Monday from the 400 block of Keystone Drive, about two miles south of the prison.

The truck bears Tennessee license plate 138BBQV, has an air compressor in the bed, and is marked with the name Lindamood Planting Company on its side. Authorities are asking residents to check home security systems, doorbell cameras, trail cameras, and other surveillance footage for possible sightings.

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Morley is serving a life sentence for the 2022 murder of his former co-worker, Cody Birchfield. He was convicted in 2025 of first-degree murder and other offenses, including aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, evading arrest, and vandalism.

Birchfield disappeared in February 2022 after he was last seen in Elizabethton, Tennessee. His body was later discovered in a box beneath Morley’s home after investigators found evidence that a violent crime had occurred there. Morley was arrested in March 2022 after leading deputies on a police chase that ended near the North Carolina state line. During his trial, Morley’s former girlfriend testified that he had told her he killed Birchfield. 

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has added Morley to its Most Wanted list and says he should be considered dangerous. He is described as approximately 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighing 240 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes. Authorities are offering a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to his arrest. 

The Tennessee Department of Correction said local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies are coordinating the effort, while the Tennessee Highway Patrol has deployed state troopers and aviation assets. Officials said authorities have searched and cleared buildings and structures in the surrounding area.

The Hornbeak Fire Department in West Tennessee reported that the truck matching the description passed its facility at approximately 1:18 a.m. Monday. The department also reported that the vehicle had been spotted in nearby Troy, Tennessee, according to ABC News. 

Northwest Correctional Complex sits in in rural Tiptonville, near the Mississippi River and the Missouri border, roughly 90 miles north of Memphis. The facility has an operating capacity of 1,776 male inmates and has faced scrutiny over staffing shortages and violence. A 2023 audit found a 61% vacancy rate among correctional officer positions during that fiscal year, while a grand jury returned dozens of indictments in July related to inmate murders, assaults, and other violence.

Authorities are urging anyone who sees Morley or the stolen truck not to approach or attempt to apprehend him. Anyone with information should call 911 or the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-TBI-FIND (1-800-824-3463). 

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