Murder Convict Jacob Morley Steals Ford F-350 After Escaping Tennessee Prison
The 28-year-old inmate, who breached the Northwest Correctional Complex fence Sunday night, is now on the state's most wanted list following a multi-agency manhunt.
By Samir Patterson ·
Jacob Allen Morley, 28, stole a white 2008 Ford F-350 pickup truck on Monday morning after escaping from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee. The Tennessee Department of Correction confirmed Morley is serving a life sentence for the 2022 murder of Cody Birchfield.
Prison staff discovered Morley missing during an emergency count at approximately 11:30 p.m. Sunday. Security footage showed the inmate breaching the facility fence while still wearing his prison uniform. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation reported that video captured Morley taking the truck on the 400 block of Keystone Drive, a location roughly two miles south of the prison, around 1 a.m. Monday.
The getaway vehicle is a heavy-duty Ford F-350 with the Tennessee license plate 138BBQV. Officials noted the truck bears the name Lindamood Planting Company on its side and carries an air compressor in the bed. Morley is described as 5 feet 11 inches tall and 240 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes. The state bureau advises that he should be considered dangerous and has 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 also pleaded guilty to burglary, vandalism, tampering with evidence, and evading arrest. Birchfield disappeared in early February 2022 after being last seen in Elizabethton. Investigators from the Carter County Sheriff's Office found indications of a violent crime inside the victim's home.
Police arrested Morley on March 2, 2022, following a chase that reached the North Carolina border. Authorities located Birchfield's body beneath Morley's residence following the arrest. Landree Sheperd, Morley's former girlfriend, testified during the trial that the defendant admitted to killing Birchfield.
Federal and state law enforcement agencies are coordinating the current search effort. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is accepting tips regarding Morley's whereabouts at 844-832-3463.
