Tennessee murder convict escapes prison, steals truck in overnight flight
What's new: Investigators put Jacob Morley on the state's most wanted list and offered a $2,500 reward as troopers and aircraft joined the search.
A manhunt is underway in northwest Tennessee after Jacob Allen Morley, 28, escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville late Sunday and stole a white 2008 Ford F-350, authorities said. Prison staff found Morley missing at about 11:30 p.m., and security video showed him breaching the perimeter fence while wearing his prison uniform. Investigators said footage later captured him taking the truck, which carries Tennessee tag 138BBQV, an air compressor in the bed and Lindamood Planting Company markings. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation added Morley to its most wanted list and warned he should be considered dangerous. Morley is serving a life sentence after his 2025 conviction in Carter County for first-degree murder and other charges tied to the 2022 killing of Cody Birchfield.