A convicted murderer serving a life sentence has escaped from a northwestern Tennessee prison, prompting an urgent manhunt across a rural stretch of land near the Mississippi River.
Jacob Morley, 28, was discovered missing around 11:30 p.m. Sunday at the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, according to the Tennessee Department of Correction. Security footage confirmed he fled the facility still wearing his prison uniform after slipping through a perimeter fence.
Morley stands 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighs approximately 240 pounds and has brown hair and green eyes. Prison officials are offering a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to his arrest.
Law enforcement agencies across the region have been searching buildings and structures surrounding the facility, which sits roughly 90 miles north of Memphis in a remote, flat area near the Missouri border.
Morley was convicted of first-degree murder in the 2022 killing of his co-worker Cody Birchfield. Birchfield’s remains were discovered hidden in a box beneath Morley’s Carter County home after the victim had been reported missing for several weeks.
In addition to the murder conviction, Morley was also found guilty of aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, vandalism and evading arrest. When deputies first approached his home in 2022, Morley fled and led authorities on a chase that stretched all the way into North Carolina before he was apprehended.
The Northwest Correctional Complex has faced serious scrutiny in recent years over violence inside its walls. A grand jury returned dozens of indictments in July connected to five inmate murders, staff assaults and other acts of violence at the facility.
The prison is designed to hold up to 1,776 adult male inmates and also houses juveniles who have been tried and convicted as adults. A 2023 state audit revealed the facility was severely understaffed, reporting a staggering 61 percent vacancy rate for correctional officers during that fiscal year.
Authorities have not disclosed the exact method Morley used to breach the fence or whether he had any outside assistance. The investigation remains active as officials work to locate and recapture the fugitive before he can travel further from the area.
Anyone with information on Morley’s whereabouts is urged to contact local law enforcement immediately and not to approach him as he is considered dangerous.