A man serving a life sentence for murder has escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tennessee after breaching the prison’s perimeter fence, and investigators said video shows him stealing a truck hours later.
On Tuesday, the Tennessee Department of Correction said staff had found Jacob Allen Morley, 28, unaccounted for at approximately 11:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25, and it then conducted an emergency count and search of the facility.
A Carter County jury convicted Morley in February 2025 of first-degree murder in the February 2022 killing of Cody Birchfield of Elizabethton.
According to court documents, Birchfield was a friend and co-worker to Morley.
He was also convicted of aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence and other related offenses, and was sentenced June 27, last year, to life in prison with the possibility of parole, plus additional consecutive time on some counts.
After he escaped, a review of security camera footage later showed Morley breached the perimeter fence and left in his TDOC prison uniform, the department noted.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation identified Morley as the escaped inmate and said video shows him taking a white 2008 Ford F-350 around 1 a.m. Tuesday from the 400 block of Keystone Drive.
According to authorities, the truck bears Tennessee tag 138BBQV, has an air compressor in the back and is marked with Lindamood Planting Company on its side, the bureau said.
The office noted it it’s working with local, state and federal law enforcement, and has searched and cleared buildings and structures in the surrounding area.
Additionally, the Tennessee Highway Patrol office has deployed aviation assets and troopers to assist in the search.
TDOC described Morley as 5 feet 11 inches tall and about 240 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes. His inmate number is 674793.
How Morley was able to make the escape plan and carry it out without prison guards knowing is still unknown, as authorities have not given more information out yet.
Morley has now been added to the TBI’s Most Wanted list, with a reward of up to $2,500 put on his head for information that would lead to his arrest.
Residents are now asked by officials to check home security and doorbell cameras, trail cameras and other surveillance for signs of Morley or the truck.
“If you see Morley or the vehicle, do not approach,” the TBI said. “Call 911 immediately or contact TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND.”
“TDOC is committed to protecting the safety of the public and is asking the community to immediately contact law enforcement with any sightings or information,” the department said.
