Life Sentence Inmate Fleeing

Jacob Allen Morley, a 28-year-old serving a life sentence for murder, evaded capture by stealing a white 2008 Ford F-350 pickup truck after breaching the perimeter of the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) confirmed that Morley is currently on the state's most wanted list and advised the public to consider him dangerous.

Tennessee Department of Correction officials reported that staff discovered Morley missing during an emergency headcount at approximately 11:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 25. Security footage from the facility showed the inmate exiting through a fence while still wearing prison-issue clothing. By 1:00 a.m. on Monday, October 26, video captured by the TBI showed Morley taking the truck on the 400 block of Keystone Drive, located roughly two miles south of the prison.

The vehicle used in the escape is a heavy-duty Ford F-350 with Tennessee license plate 138BBQV. According to officials, the truck is marked with the name Lindamood Planting Company on its side and contains an air compressor in the cargo bed. Morley is described as 5 feet 11 inches tall and 240 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes.

Morley received his life sentence in 2025 after being convicted of the 2022 murder of Cody Birchfield. The victim disappeared in early February 2022 after being last seen in Elizabethton. Investigators from the Carter County Sheriff's Office noted signs of a violent crime inside Birchfield's residence. Morley was arrested on March 2, 2022, following a police chase that extended to the North Carolina state line. Birchfield's body was discovered beneath Morley's home after the arrest. In addition to the first-degree murder conviction, Morley was found guilty of burglary, vandalism, tampering with evidence, and evading arrest.

Landree Sheperd, Morley's former girlfriend, testified at the trial that he admitted to killing Birchfield by saying, "he f, ing killed him." Federal and state law enforcement agencies are currently assisting in the search for the fugitive. Residents with information about Morley's whereabouts are asked to call 844-832-3463.

The Tennessee Department of Correction stated that the search continues across the region. No further updates were provided regarding the specific location of the stolen truck or the current perimeter of the manhunt.