Authorities Expand Search for Escaped Tennessee Killer in Illinois

A multistate search is underway for Jacob Allen Morley, a 28-year-old convicted murderer who escaped from a Tennessee prison and whose stolen truck was discovered abandoned in southern Illinois. Authorities said Wednesday, October 28, that his whereabouts remained unknown, while the combined reward for information leading to his arrest had increased to $15,000.

Morley escaped from Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee, sometime before 11:30 p.m. Sunday, October 25, according to the Tennessee Department of Correction. Investigators said he stole a vehicle after leaving the facility, and authorities found a white 2008 Ford F-350 with Tennessee plates behind a business in Marion, Illinois, early Tuesday.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Marshals Service, Tennessee officials and Illinois State Police are coordinating efforts to locate him. Marion Police Chief David Fitts said investigators had found no confirmed sightings or evidence connecting Morley to the town, which lies about 100 miles north of Tiptonville.

Fitts said the available information suggested Morley might have left the area, although local officers had not ended their search. Authorities have urged residents to secure vehicles, homes, equipment and outbuildings, and warned the public not to approach the fugitive.

Fitts said Marion offered few places where Morley could remain unnoticed because his image had circulated widely in the news. He also noted that Interstate 57 runs through the town, offering a possible explanation for why the vehicle appeared there, although investigators had not established his reason for traveling to the area.

“What we have seen kind of leads us in the direction that he’s not still here. But that doesn’t mean that we’ve stopped looking,” Marion Police Chief David Fitts said.

Fitts said there were no reports of other stolen vehicles in Marion and no confirmed sightings of Morley. He urged residents to report information to law enforcement rather than attempting to intervene themselves.

“There’s really nowhere for him to go here where he wouldn’t be recognized. His face is all over the news,” Fitts said.

Morley was convicted in connection with the 2022 killing of Cody Birchfield and received a life sentence. Court records cited by news outlets show that Birchfield's body was discovered inside a large metal box beneath Morley's residence after Birchfield was reported missing in February 2022.

Morley was convicted of first-degree murder, abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence and aggravated burglary following a February 2025 trial, according to NBC News. Other reports also list evading arrest and vandalism among his convictions, while records indicate he pleaded guilty to theft of property.

Investigators said Morley admitted entering Birchfield's home to rob him. Authorities later found a spent .40-caliber cartridge casing at Birchfield's home, and a subsequent search of Morley's residence uncovered matching ammunition and Birchfield's body.

Birchfield's relatives and friends have expressed renewed fear following the escape. Carrie Norman, Birchfield's sister, said the uncertainty had forced the family to relive the trauma of his death.

“It feels like a scary movie,” Norman said.

She said the family was struggling with not knowing where Morley was, given the violence for which he had been convicted.

“The family, they have to go back through the experience — once again. Once again, because you don’t know where he’s at, but you know what he’s capable of,” Norman said.

Daniel Russell, Birchfield's childhood best friend, also described the emotional impact of the escape. Russell said he had considered Birchfield a brother and remembered him as a devoted father, son and friend who regularly helped others.

“He’s way more than friend. He’s my brother,” Russell said.

Russell said their friendship began in elementary school and remained close throughout their lives. He recalled that Birchfield's son had Daniel as his middle name.

“Me and him was close enough that his son’s middle name is Daniel,” Russell said.

Russell said learning that Morley had escaped had revived fears that another family could suffer a similar loss.

“If he will kill somebody the way he killed Cody, he’s a monster. He will do it again when the first opportunity comes,” Russell said.

Diana Reid, another friend of Birchfield, said the escape had undermined the sense of security his loved ones gained from his conviction and imprisonment.

“We felt like justice, to a certain degree, was in place with him being incarcerated. It doesn’t bring Cody back, but at least justice was served in that aspect,” Reid said.

Reid said Morley's escape had left the family questioning whether that sense of justice could be maintained while he remained free.

“But now he’s out. So where’s Cody’s justice? Where’s the peace that his family had just knowing that he wasn’t roaming the streets?” Reid said.

Authorities increased the reward on Wednesday from $2,500 to $15,000. The total combines contributions from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Tennessee governor's office and the U.S. Marshals Service, which are seeking information that could lead to Morley's arrest.

The Tennessee Department of Correction said prison employees discovered Morley was missing at approximately 11:30 p.m. Sunday and immediately conducted an emergency count and search. Security footage showed that he had breached the facility's perimeter fence while wearing his prison uniform.

“Breached the perimeter fence and exited the facility in his TDOC uniform,” the department said in its description of the escape.

The department said the circumstances of the escape remained under investigation. Authorities have not publicly provided further details about how Morley passed through the prison's security perimeter.

“This is really frustrating that we can’t find him. Somebody will eventually, I have no doubt in my mind. I wish it was us so we could catch him now,” Fitts said.

Fitts reiterated that residents should avoid confronting Morley if they encounter him.

“But, and I just want to let our people know that, again, don’t approach him. Call 911. We’ll handle it,” Fitts said.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation continues to classify Morley as wanted, and law enforcement agencies in surrounding states have been notified. His location remained unconfirmed as of Wednesday, October 28.