Jacob Morley, a 28-year-old man serving a life sentence for murder, escaped from a prison in northwest Tennessee by breaching its perimeter fence and is believed to have stolen a pickup truck, state officials said, setting off a manhunt that was still underway on Tuesday.
Morley, whose full name is Jacob Allen Morley, was found missing from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville at about 11:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25, the Tennessee Department of Correction said. Staff “immediately conducted an emergency count and search of the facility,” the department said, according to ABC News.
Morley breached the fence and left the prison wearing his inmate uniform, officials said. They have not said how he got through it.
Jacob Morley added to Tennessee’s Most Wanted list
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said Morley is believed to have stolen a white 2008 Ford F-350 with Tennessee tag 138BBQV and a Lindamood Planting Company logo on the side. The truck was taken from the 400 block of Keystone Drive at about 1 a.m. Monday.
The truck was later spotted passing the fire department in Hornbeak at 1:18 a.m. and was also seen in Troy, KFVS12 reported.
“Jacob has been added to our state’s Most Wanted list and should be considered dangerous,” the TBI said, NewsChannel 5 reported. The bureau is offering a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to his arrest.
Morley is 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs about 240 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes. Officials urged anyone who sees him not to approach him and to contact law enforcement immediately.
The Department of Correction also asked people who live nearby to check doorbell cameras, home security systems and hunting trail cameras. Local, state and federal officers have joined the search, and the Tennessee Highway Patrol is using aircraft.
Serving life for a 2022 killing
Morley is serving a life sentence for the 2022 killing of his co-worker, Cody Birchfield, of Elizabethton. Birchfield’s body was found in a box under Morley’s home in Carter County, in the state’s far east, after he had been missing for several weeks, Newsweek reported.
When deputies came to his home in 2022, Morley led police on a chase that ended in North Carolina, authorities said. He was also convicted of aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, evading arrest and vandalism.
Tiptonville is a rural town near the Mississippi River, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) north of Memphis.
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