On a Sunday night in the flat, river-bordered country of northwest Tennessee, a man serving a life sentence for murder slipped out of the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, leaving behind a prison uniform, a stolen truck, and a trail that crossed into Illinois. His escape is the latest chapter in a record of violence and understaffing that has troubled the facility for years, and it presses a hard question about who is kept behind walls and how well those walls are kept. For now the search belongs to strangers with doorbell cameras and to officers following a single truck's path ac
Convicted Murderer Escapes Northwest Tennessee Prison Through Fence, Steals Truck; Manhunt Continues
Morley was convicted of killing co-worker Cody Birchfield in 2022, whose body was found in a box under Morley's Carter County home.
The truck was found in Illinois, but Morley was not.
Mark
Start with the basics. What do we actually know about how he got out?
Mimi
Not much. Officials say cameras showed him going through a fence in his prison uniform. That's all they've released about the escape itself.
Luke
And worth saying: how he got through that fence is unstated. Anything beyond that would be guesswork.
Mark
The truck seems to be the main lead so far.
Mimi
It is. Footage shows him taking a white 2008 Ford F-350 around 1 a.m. Tuesday in Lake County. By afternoon it was found in Marion, Illinois.
Luke
Finding the truck isn't finding him. The bureau said his location is still unknown, and the reporting doesn't say whether he left Illinois or how.
Mark
Why does the prison's history come up in this story?
Mimi
The complex has had violence, including five inmate murders covered by July indictments, and a 2023 audit found a 61% vacancy rate for correctional officers.
Luke
Careful, though. Those facts are context. Nothing in the reporting says staffing caused this escape.
Mark
And the request to residents?
Mimi
Check doorbell and trail cameras. The reward is up to $2,500, which tells you they want tips from ordinary people.
O Pulso
- A convicted murderer was discovered missing from a Tennessee prison around 11:30 p.m. Sunday, still wearing his uniform.
- Surveillance footage captured him slipping through a fence, and officials have not explained how he got past it.
- He drove off in a stolen white 2008 Ford F-350 from Lake County, and the truck surfaced in Marion, Illinois, while he vanished.
- Investigators have placed him on the most wanted list with a $2,500 reward and are asking residents to check their doorbell and trail cameras.
- The prison already carries a grim record of inmate killings, staff assaults, and a correctional officer vacancy rate of 61%.
On a Sunday night in the flat, river-bordered country of northwest Tennessee, a man serving a life sentence for murder slipped out of the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, leaving behind a prison uniform, a stolen truck, and a trail that crossed into Illinois. His escape is the latest chapter in a record of violence and understaffing that has troubled the facility for years, and it presses a hard question about who is kept behind walls and how well those walls are kept. For now the search belongs to strangers with doorbell cameras and to officers following a single truck's path across the map.
Around 11:30 on Sunday night, staff at the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee, noticed that Jacob Morley, 28, was not where he belonged. He was serving a life sentence for murder, and by Tuesday he was still free.
Security cameras showed him climbing out through a fence in his prison uniform. Officials have not explained how he got through it. Later footage from early Tuesday showed him driving off in a white 2008 Ford F-350 that he had taken in Lake County. That afternoon the truck was found in Marion, Illinois, but Morley had disappeared again.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has offered up to $2,500 for information leading to his arrest and is asking neighbors to check their home cameras. Morley is described as 5-foot-11 and 240 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes.
His crime is grim. In 2022 he was convicted of killing his co-worker Cody Birchfield, whose body was found in a box under Morley's Carter County home. The escape also lands on a facility already marked by violence, including a July grand jury indictment covering five inmate murders, and by a staffing crisis that a 2023 audit described in stark terms. For now, the work is simply finding him.
Around 11:30 on Sunday night, officials at the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee, realized one inmate was not where he was supposed to be. He was Jacob Morley, 28, serving a life sentence for murder. By Tuesday he was still free, and investigators had a video of him stealing a truck.
The Tennessee Department of Correction said staff reviewed security cameras and saw Morley get out through a fence, wearing his prison uniform. Officials have not said how he got through the fence, and they released no other details about the escape itself.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation later put out surveillance footage from about 1 a.m. local time on Tuesday. It shows Morley taking a white 2008 Ford F-350 with Tennessee plates and a Lindamood Planting Company logo on the door. The truck was taken in Lake County, which includes Tiptonville. On Tuesday afternoon it turned up in Marion, Illinois, but the bureau said Morley's whereabouts remained unknown.
The bureau kept him on its most wanted list and offered a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to his arrest. It asked residents of the area where the truck was stolen to check their home security systems, including doorbell cameras and trail cameras, for any sign of Morley or the vehicle. He is 5-foot-11 and 240 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes.
The prison sits about 90 miles north of Memphis, in isolated, rural flatland near a bend in the Mississippi River close to Missouri. Prison officials said law enforcement across the area has searched buildings and other structures near the facility.
Morley is in prison for killing his co-worker Cody Birchfield in 2022. Birchfield had been missing for a few weeks when his body was found in a box under Morley's home in Carter County. Besides first-degree murder, Morley was convicted of aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, vandalism and evading arrest. When he saw deputies at his home in 2022, he led police on a chase that ended in North Carolina.
The escape adds to a troubled record at the complex. Several violent attacks, between inmates and by employees, have been reported there in recent years. In July, a grand jury returned dozens of indictments covering five inmate murders, assaults on staff and inmates, and other violence. The facility can house 1,776 men, including minors convicted as adults. A 2023 audit of Tennessee prisons found the department struggling to fill positions at the prison, with a 61% vacancy rate for correctional officers in that fiscal year.
For now, the focus is on finding Morley. The truck in Illinois shows he crossed state lines, and the reward and the request for camera footage show how much officials are relying on tips from the public.
Citações Notáveis
Residents of the area where the truck was stolen should check home security systems, including doorbell and trail cameras, for any sightings of Morley or the truck.— Tennessee Bureau of Investigation
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Leia o original em CBS News ↗
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