A convicted murderer serving a life sentence is on the run after escaping from a Tennessee prison, according to the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC).
Jacob Allen Morley, 28, escaped on Sunday from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, about 90 miles north of Memphis, the TDOC said. Security camera footage confirmed that Morley breached the prison's perimeter fence and escaped in his prison uniform, the agency said.
Investigators have released security camera video they say shows Morley stealing a nearby farm's work car. On Tuesday afternoon, investigators said the stolen vehicle was found in Illinois, about 120 miles north of Tiptonville. Morley was not with it.
Morley was convicted of first-degree murder over the 2022 killing of his co-worker, Cody Birchfield, and was sentenced in June 2025, according to court records reviewed by the BBC. Birchfield's body was found in a metal box under Morley's home, the records show. A pathology report cited in court said Birchfield died from a gunshot wound to the back of the head.
Morley has been added to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's most wanted list. The reward for information leading to his arrest was raised from $2,500 to $15,000 on Wednesday, according to the TDOC. The Tennessee Highway Patrol has deployed aviation assets and state troopers to assist in the search.
Prison staff reported Morley "unaccounted for" on Sunday night and began an emergency headcount and search, officials said Monday.