Tennessee inmate who killed co-worker stole truck, driven 120 miles before being abandoned in Illinois

Jacob Morley, a Tennessee inmate serving a life sentence for murder, escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex late Sunday and stole a truck from a nearby farm. Authorities confirmed on Tuesday that the vehicle was found abandoned in Marion, Illinois, approximately 120 miles north of the prison. Morley remains at large.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation released surveillance footage showing Morley leaving his prison clothes behind as he climbed through a fence. He walked about two miles across fields to a farm near Tiptonville. At approximately 1 a.m. on Monday, he entered an unlocked truck and drove away.

Firefighters in Hornbeak, located 12 miles east of the farm, stated that their station cameras captured the truck passing by 15 minutes after it left the property. Investigators verified the footage. The vehicle was later discovered in Marion, Illinois, which sits about 90 miles southeast of St. Louis.

Morley, 28, is white, 5 feet 11 inches tall, and weighs 240 pounds. He has brown hair and green eyes. Law enforcement agencies have searched buildings and structures near the prison but have not yet located him. Authorities have not indicated whether he received assistance during the escape.

Morley is serving a life sentence for the 2022 murder of co-worker Cody Birchfield. Birchfield’s body was discovered in a box under Morley’s home in Carter County after he had been missing for several weeks. Morley was also convicted of aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, vandalism, and evading arrest. He led deputies on a car chase that ended in North Carolina after they arrived at his residence.

The Northwest Correctional Complex is situated on flat farmland near a bend in the Mississippi River, about 90 miles north of Memphis. The facility can hold 1,776 men, including minors convicted as adults. A grand jury returned dozens of indictments in July related to five inmate killings and other violent acts at the prison.

Prison officials have offered a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to Morley's arrest.