Search widens for escaped Tennessee murderer after stolen truck found in Illinois

Jacob Morley, a 28-year-old serving a life sentence for first-degree murder, escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee, late Sunday night. Staff noticed he was missing around 11:30 p.m., and security footage showed him breaching the perimeter fence and leaving in his prison uniform, the Tennessee Department of Correction said. He then stole a white 2008 Ford F-350 early Monday in Lake County.

The stolen truck was found abandoned Tuesday morning in Marion, Illinois, about 130 miles north of the prison. Marion police Lt. Justin Dwyer said surveillance video showed the vehicle was left there around 4:40 a.m. Monday, and officers located it at 10 a.m. Tuesday. Investigators said footage indicates Morley walked toward a highway after leaving the truck. Authorities in several states are searching for him, and the Tennessee Department of Correction posted a warning Thursday saying he could be anywhere and is considered dangerous. The post asked residents to check vacation homes and outbuildings.

Morley was convicted of first-degree murder, aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, evading arrest and vandalism. He was sentenced to life in prison for the killing of Cody Birchfield, who was reported missing in February 2022. The Carter County Sheriff's Office said Birchfield's body was found weeks later in a box under Morley's house. A $17,500 reward is offered for information leading to his arrest, funded by the Tennessee governor's office, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Marshals Service.

Marion police have knocked on doors and reviewed surveillance videos matching Morley's description but have not confirmed whether he remains in the city. "Although there is no indication he is still in Marion, we will continue to assume he is and will be on the lookout," Dwyer said. In Marion, a city of about 17,600 people, resident Lachelle Hartline said authorities did not send an alert. "We only got information through Facebook," she said. Local attorney Bridget Lawler said residents are securing their homes. "Everybody is locking their car doors now," she said Wednesday.

Birchfield's family said news of the escape reopened old wounds. "You feel sick to your stomach," his sister, Carrie Norman, told WCYB. A cousin said the family's priority is public safety. Morley's escape marks the second breakout this month from Tennessee Department of Correction custody. The department's commissioner resigned after the botched execution last month of Christa Pike, who was returned to a maximum-security prison. Morley is on the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's Most Wanted list, and officers continue to canvass Marion.