Tennessee Fugitive: Murder Convict Jacob Morley Steals White Ford F-350 After Escape

Jacob Allen Morley, a 28-year-old Tennessee inmate serving a life sentence for murder, escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville on Sunday. The Tennessee Department of Correction confirmed the breakaway and reported that Morley stole a white heavy-duty pickup truck during his flight from the facility.

Prison staff identified the missing inmate at approximately 11:30 p.m. on Sunday. An emergency count and search of the complex followed immediately. Security footage captured Morley cutting through a perimeter fence while still dressed in standard prison clothing. He was last seen on video around 1:00 a.m. Monday, when he took a vehicle from the 400 block of Keystone Drive. This location is roughly two miles south of the prison.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) identified the stolen vehicle as a 2008 white Ford F-350 with Tennessee license plate 138BBQV. The truck bears the name Lindamood Planting Company on its side and contains an air compressor in the bed. Officials describe Morley as 5 feet 11 inches tall and 240 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes. The TBI has designated him as dangerous and added him to the state's most wanted list.

Morley received his life sentence in 2025 after a jury convicted him of first-degree murder. He was also found guilty of burglary, vandalism, tampering with evidence, and evading arrest. The conviction stems from the 2022 death of Cody Birchfield, who disappeared in early February of that year. Birchfield was last seen in Elizabethton, Tennessee. Investigators from the Carter County Sheriff's Office found signs of a violent crime inside Birchfield's residence.

Police arrested Morley on March 2, 2022, after a chase that crossed into North Carolina. Following the arrest, authorities located Birchfield's body beneath the floor of Morley's home. During the trial, Morley's former girlfriend Landree Sheperd testified that the defendant had stated he killed Birchfield. Federal and state law enforcement agencies are now assisting in the search. The public can report information by calling 844-832-3463.