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A manhunt is under way in Tennessee for Jacob Allen Morley, 28, a convicted murderer serving a life sentence, after he escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville late on Sunday, October 25, 2026. Staff confirmed Morley was unaccounted for at about 11:30 p.m. and immediately conducted an emergency count and search of the facility; a review of security cameras then confirmed he had breached the perimeter fence and left the grounds in his Tennessee Department of Correction uniform.
Investigators believe he did not stay on foot for long. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said newly obtained video shows Morley taking a white 2008 Ford F-350 pickup, Tennessee plate 138BBQV, from the 400 block of Keystone Drive in the Tiptonville area at around 1 a.m. on Monday, October 26. The truck, which has an air compressor in its bed, is marked on the side with the name Lindamood Planting Company. The Hornbeak Fire Department spotted the truck on its own security cameras as it passed at 1:18 a.m., and the vehicle was also seen in Troy.
Morley is described as 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighing about 240 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has placed him on its Most Wanted list and is offering a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to his arrest. Officials say he should be considered dangerous, and residents are urged not to approach him or the vehicle, but to call 911 or the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-TBI-FIND, or the Department of Correction at 1-844-832-3463. Residents are also asked to check home security systems, doorbell cameras and trail cameras for any sightings of Morley or the stolen truck.
Morley was serving a life sentence after his conviction in Carter County for the first-degree murder of Cody Birchfield, who went missing in February 2022 in Elizabethton; Birchfield's body was later found buried beneath Morley's home. He was also convicted of aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, evading arrest and vandalism.
The Northwest Correctional Complex is in Lake County, about 100 miles north of Memphis, near the Mississippi River and the Missouri state line. The Department of Correction said it is working with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to apprehend Morley, and Lake County Sheriff Bryan Avery asked the public to remain vigilant and exercise caution. As of Tuesday, October 27, the search was still under way.