A manhunt is underway for a convicted murderer who authorities said escaped from a prison in northwest Tennessee by slipping through a prison fence and then stealing a truck. Jacob Morley, 28, who was serving a life sentence for killing a co-worker four years ago, was discovered missing at the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, at around 11:30 p.m. on Sunday, the Tennessee Department of Correction said in a statement. Investigators looked at security cameras and saw Morley escaped while wearing his prison uniform, officials said.
They did not release any other details, including how Morley got through the fence. Law enforcement has searched buildings and other structures near the prison about 90 miles north of Memphis in an isolated, rural area of flat land tucked near a bend in the Mississippi River. Prison officials have a reward of up to $2,500 for Morley’s arrest—he is 5-foot-11, 240 pounds and has brown hair and green eyes.
Morley was sentenced to life for killing co-worker Cody Birchfield in 2022. Birchfield’s body was found in a box under Morley’s Carter County home after he had been missing for a few weeks. Along with first-degree murder, Morley was also convicted of aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, vandalism and evading arrest.
When Morley saw deputies at his home in 2022, he led police on a chase that ended in North Carolina, authorities said. This is a developing story and will be updated. This article includes reporting from The .
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