Convicted killer Jacob Morley escapes Tennessee prison, stolen truck found in Illinois

Convicted murderer at large

Jacob Allen Morley, 28, was sentenced in June 2025 to life imprisonment after being convicted of first-degree murder over the 2022 killing of a co-worker. He was also convicted of vandalism, tampering with evidence, aggravated burglary and evading arrest. On Sunday, 25 October, he got out of the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee, about 145 km north of Memphis. Security footage confirmed that he breached the perimeter fence while wearing his prison uniform. Staff noticed he was missing late that evening, with one report giving the time as around 23:00 and another as 23:30. Authorities have not yet explained how he got past the prison's security.

Stolen truck and search

A few hours later, cameras recorded a man taking a white 2008 Ford F-350 parked about three kilometres from the prison. The vehicle belonged to a nearby farm operation, which one report names as Lindamood Planting Company. On Tuesday afternoon, 27 October, investigators said the truck had been found in Illinois, around 190 km north of the prison, and that Morley was not inside it. Police have asked residents nearby to review footage from private cameras and video doorbells.

The Tennessee Department of Correction said in its statement:

“The Tennessee Highway Patrol has deployed aviation assets and state troopers to assist with the search”

Aircraft are scanning the area from above, while prison staff, police and state services take part in the search on the ground.

Reward and warnings

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has added Morley to its most-wanted list, offering up to $2,500 for information that leads to his arrest. Authorities warn that he could be dangerous and ask anyone who spots him not to try to detain him alone. Prison records rate his supervision level as "low" and show he was not eligible for release until December 2083. The reward and the wanted listing were announced while the search was still under way.

Earlier escapes and the wider picture

Media note that this is not Morley's first manhunt, since his 2022 arrest followed a police chase that crossed state lines into North Carolina. The BBC reports that earlier in October another inmate, 69, serving 15 years for aggravated robbery, also escaped custody and was recaptured shortly afterwards. In September, a botched lethal injection of a convicted murderer in the same state led to the resignation of the state's corrections commissioner. The Department of Correction has not linked that case to Morley's escape.