Manhunt underway for convicted killer who escaped through Tennessee prison fence and fled in stolen truck, officials say

Tennessee authorities are searching for a 28-year-old convicted murderer who escaped through a state prison's fence late Sunday night before stealing a truck and driving off.

Jacob Morley, who is serving a life sentence, is now on the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's "Most Wanted" list, with a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to his arrest.

The escape comes the same month that Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada resigned from his role following the failed execution of Christa Pike, which left her unconscious and on a ventilator at a hospital. Pike has since been released from the hospital and returned to a maximum-security prison as her future remains uncertain.

Morley stole a white 2008 Ford F-350 with Tennessee plates around 1 a.m. on October 26, the agency said, citing video it obtained.

The vehicle was found abandoned early Tuesday in Marion, Illinois, the TBI said.

The truck belonged to the Lindamood Planting Company and was carrying tools, according to John Lindamood, co-owner of the farming operation. The truck wasn't in service, so employees didn't know it was missing until midday Monday, he said.

The Hornbeak Fire Department, about 15 miles from the Northwest Correctional Complex, captured video of Morley passing in front of the fire department building in the stolen truck around 1:18 a.m., its officials said.

Photos from a wanted poster show surveillance images of inmate Jacob Allen Morley taken during his escape from the Northwest Correctional Complex late Sunday, the department said. - Tennessee Department of Correction

Jacob Allen Morley - Tennessee Department of Correction

Around 11:30 p.m. on Sunday, staff at the Northwest Correctional Complex learned Morley was missing, according to the Tennessee Department of Correction. Security camera footage later revealed Morley "breached the perimeter fence" and left the facility wearing his prison uniform, the department said. It remains unclear how he escaped through the fence.

Morley is the second inmate to escape from the Tennessee Department of Correction's custody in the past week.

He had been sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of first-degree murder, aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, evading arrest and vandalism.

Morley was convicted in the killing of Cody Birchfield, who was initially reported missing in February 2022, according to the Carter County Sheriff's Office.

Birchfield's body was found in a box under Morley's house weeks after he went missing, The Associated Press reported. Morley in 2022 led police on a chase that ended in North Carolina after he found deputies at his home, according to authorities.

The Northwest Correctional Complex in Tennessee can house up to 1,776 male inmates, according to the state Department of Correction.

In recent years, the complex has also faced issues with violence among inmates and prison employees. In July, a grand jury returned various indictments related to five inmate murders at Northwest Correctional Complex and other violent acts, The Associated Press reported.

Staffing shortages have also posed challenges. Prison officials told a Tennessee Senate subcommittee in September that the complex had 470 vacancies across its 6,000-person workforce, according to The AP.

CNN's Amanda Jackson contributed to this report.

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