US authorities successfully captured Jacob Allen Morley, a convicted murderer who escaped from a Tennessee prison, after a coordinated manhunt spanning three states over nine days. The suspect was cornered when the stolen pickup truck he was driving became stuck in mud in Missouri. A search found three stolen firearms, and officials plan to file additional serious charges.
US officials arrested 28-year-old Jacob Allen Morley, a convicted murderer who fled a Tennessee prison, ending a nine-day manhunt across three states. His escape ended when he drove off-road and became stuck in Missouri.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) reported that Morley was captured during a joint operation involving local, state, and federal authorities after receiving a tip that he was hiding in Illinois and had stolen another pickup truck from a farm.
Authorities tracked the vehicle's license plate using automatic license plate readers and FLOCK surveillance cameras before spotting the truck on Missouri Highway 291. Missouri State Highway Patrol arrested Morley in Carroll County around 11:34 a.m. local time on Tuesday without resistance. Three stolen firearms were found in the vehicle.
Morley escaped from the high-security Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee, on the night of October 25. He was serving a life sentence for the 2022 murder of his coworker Cody Birchfield.
Surveillance footage showed Morley dressed in a prison uniform climbing over the security fence, then hiding behind the prison kitchen. Early on October 26, he stole a Ford pickup truck from a nearby farm. After fleeing, he drove across state lines to Marion, Illinois, abandoned the first vehicle, and remained missing for eight days. Authorities issued public warnings, added him to the most wanted list, and offered a reward.
Authorities later received a tip that Morley was hiding in a hunting cabin near Marion. He then stole a second pickup truck, leaving a handwritten note apologizing to the owner and telling his mother he loved her, which helped authorities confirm his location.
Morley was convicted of murdering his coworker Cody Birchfield in 2022. Birchfield's body was found in a metal box beneath Morley's house weeks after his family reported him missing. An autopsy showed Birchfield died from a gunshot wound to the back of the head, with bullet casings matching a firearm found in Morley's home.
In addition to murder, Morley was convicted of aggravated burglary, property destruction, evidence tampering, and escape. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in June 2025, and a recent appeal for a new trial was denied in May.
Morley's escape has caused distress for the victim's family, who said it reopened old wounds. Authorities indicated Morley will face additional charges in Tennessee for escape, property damage, and theft, and may also face charges in Illinois and Missouri.
Morley's escape occurred amid scrutiny of Tennessee's Department of Correction security. He is the second inmate to escape custody in October, following 63-year-old Gregory Redden who fled a Nashville hospital on October 21 but was later captured.
Northwest Correctional Complex, which houses up to 1,776 inmates, has experienced multiple violent incidents in recent years. In July, a grand jury indicted dozens of cases involving assaults on officers and the murders of five inmates.