Manhunt Under Way After Inmate Serving Life Escapes Tennessee Prison

Tennessee authorities are searching for an inmate serving a life sentence for murder who escaped from a state prison late on Sunday night. The Tennessee Department of Correction said Jacob Allen Morley, 28, was unaccounted for at the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville at about 11:30 p.m. on October 25, and that a review of security cameras showed he had breached the perimeter fence and left the facility in his prison uniform.

What officials say happened

In a statement issued at 9:01 a.m. on Monday, October 26, the department said staff at the prison confirmed Morley was missing and immediately carried out an emergency count and a search of the facility. Camera footage then confirmed the fence breach. The department said it is working in close coordination with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to apprehend him, and that protecting public safety is its priority.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has added Morley to the Tennessee Most Wanted list and says he should be considered dangerous, according to WVLT, which also reported a reward of up to 2,500 dollars for information leading to his arrest. Officials asked anyone who sees Morley or has information about his whereabouts to call 911, the Department of Correction at (844) 832-3463, or the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-TBI-FIND. The department says the public should not attempt to apprehend him.

Morley is described as 5 feet 11 inches tall and about 240 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes.

The case behind the sentence

Morley is serving a life sentence for a conviction in Carter County for first-degree murder, aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, evading arrest and vandalism, the department said. WVLT reported that he was also convicted of abuse of a corpse.

The murder case dates to 2022. The Tennessean reported that the Carter County Sheriff's Office began investigating Cody Birchfield as a missing person in February 2022, after he was last seen in Elizabethton. Court records say Birchfield's body was found hidden under Morley's house. Morley was arrested in North Carolina in early March 2022 and charged with first-degree murder in connection with Birchfield's death. He was sentenced to life in prison last year.

Second escape in a week

Morley is the second inmate in less than a week to escape from Tennessee Department of Correction custody, The Tennessean reported. Gregory Redden, 63, was at Nashville General Hospital for a weekly treatment on October 21 when he slipped his handcuffs and leg shackles and walked out, according to Metro Nashville Police. He remained free for several hours before he was recaptured.

The Northwest Correctional Complex sits in Lake County, in the far northwestern corner of Tennessee, about 80 miles from Jackson. As of Monday afternoon, officials said Morley remained on the loose and the search was continuing. The department has not said how Morley got through the perimeter fence, and no injuries connected with the escape have been reported.