Tennessee murderer escapes prison

Jacob Allen Morley slipped out of the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee, on Sunday night. The 28-year-old is serving a life sentence for murder. Officials launched a manhunt immediately after his escape.

Prison staff found Morley missing during a routine count around 11:30 p.m. Sunday. They triggered an emergency search of the facility. Security video shows him breaching a fence while still in his prison uniform.

By 1:00 a.m. Monday, Morley had stolen a vehicle two miles south of the prison. He took a white 2008 Ford F-350 from the 400 block of Keystone Drive. The truck carries the name Lindamood Planting Company on its side. It holds an air compressor in the bed and displays Tennessee license plate 138BBQV.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation describes Morley as dangerous. He stands 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs 240 pounds. He has brown hair and green eyes. He is now on the state most wanted list.

Morley received a life sentence in 2025 for the 2022 murder of Cody Birchfield. He also pleaded guilty to burglary, vandalism, tampering with evidence, and evading arrest. Birchfield vanished in early February 2022 after being last seen in Elizabethton. Investigators from the Carter County Sheriff's Office found signs of a violent crime inside his house. Morley was arrested on March 2, 2022, after a chase that crossed into North Carolina. Officers later found Birchfield's body under Morley's home.

Federal and state law enforcement agencies are assisting in the search. Landree Sheperd, Morley's former girlfriend, testified at his trial. She said Morley once admitted to killing Birchfield. People with information can call 844-832-3463.