Tennessee Launches Manhunt After Convicted Killer Escapes Prison

Tennessee authorities are searching for Jacob Allen Morley, a 28-year-old convicted murderer who escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville on Sunday evening. The Tennessee Department of Correction announced the escape on Monday, October 26, 2026, after prison staff discovered Morley was missing during a late-night headcount.

According to the department and local media reports, staff noticed Morley's absence at approximately 11:30 p.m. Sunday and conducted an emergency count and search. Surveillance footage showed him breaching the facility's perimeter fence while wearing prison clothing.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has added Morley to the state's Most Wanted list and warned that he should be considered dangerous. State and federal law enforcement agencies are assisting with the search, according to officials.

Authorities describe Morley as a 5-foot-11-inch white man weighing approximately 240 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes. The Tennessee Department of Correction is asking anyone with information about his whereabouts to contact the agency at 1-844-832-3463 or call 911. Officials have warned the public not to attempt to apprehend him.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced a $2,500 reward for information leading to Morley's arrest, according to WBBJ-TV.

Morley is serving a life sentence following his 2025 conviction for the first-degree murder of Cody Birchfield, who disappeared in early February 2022. Birchfield was last seen in Elizabethton, Tennessee, and investigators later found evidence suggesting a violent crime had occurred inside his home, according to reporting by WJHL.

On March 2, 2022, Morley was arrested following a police pursuit that extended to the North Carolina state line. After his arrest, investigators discovered Birchfield's body buried beneath Morley's home, according to Fox News.

In addition to first-degree murder, Morley was convicted of aggravated burglary, evidence tampering, evading arrest and vandalism. His former girlfriend, Landree Sheperd, testified during his trial about an alleged admission by Morley.

Sheperd testified that Morley had said, "he f---ing killed him." Her testimony was presented during proceedings related to Birchfield's killing, according to Fox News.

The escape has prompted a statewide search as authorities work to locate Morley. The Tennessee Department of Correction continues to seek information that could lead to his arrest.