A man convicted of murder who escaped from a Tennessee prison was recaptured on Tuesday after more than a week on the run, authorities said.
Jacob Morley, who was serving a life sentence for killing a co-worker four years ago, was apprehended in Missouri.
Morley, 28, escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tennessee’s far northwestern corner on Oct. 25, after he slipped through a fence in his prison clothes. Surveillance video showed him stealing a truck from a farm about 2 miles (3 kilometers) away. The truck was found abandoned last week in Marion, Illinois, about 120 miles (193 kilometers) north of the prison and roughly 90 miles (145 kilometers) southeast of St. Louis.
MSHP Apprehends Escapee From Tennessee - Carroll County
On November 3, 2026, at approximately 11:34 a.m., the Missouri State Highway Patrol, along with multiple law enforcement partners, took Jacob Allen Morley, a fugitive who escaped custody in Tennessee, into custody. Morley escaped from the Northwestern Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, TN, on Monday, October 26, 2026. He was serving a life sentence for first-degree murder.
On November 3, 2026, at approximately 9:30 a.m., the Patrol’s Missouri Information Analysis Center and Troop A Communications received information from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation that Morley may be traveling westbound on Interstate 70 near Independence. The suspect vehicle was located using FLOCK cameras, and officers began to deploy to the area. With additional use of FLOCK cameras, the suspect vehicle was located by undercover officers traveling south on Missouri 291 in Liberty. Officers from multiple agencies began strategically moving into the area and coordinating, as it was believed the suspect was armed with multiple weapons. The Kansas City Police Department was able to locate the suspect vehicle with their helicopter and began to follow it. The suspect traveled east on Missouri 210 to Missouri 10, traveling into Carroll County. The suspect vehicle traveled onto County Road 515 and attempted to travel off the roadway and became stuck, at which time a trooper with the Patrol confronted Morley and took him into custody without incident. At no time during this investigation were any agencies in active pursuit with emergency equipment activated.
The Patrol is appreciative of the assistance from the Kansas City Police Department, Independence Police Department, Career Criminal Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Marshals Service. - Missouri State Highway Patrol
The Tennessee Department of Correction did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Morley was serving a life sentence for killing co-worker Cody Birchfield in 2022. Birchfield’s body was found in a box under Morley’s home after he had been missing for a few weeks. The two lived in Carter County, in eastern Tennessee.
When Morley saw deputies at his home, he led officers on a chase that ended in North Carolina, authorities said. Morley was convicted of first-degree murder, aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, vandalism and evading arrest.
After his escape, law enforcement agencies searched buildings and other structures near the prison, which is in Tiptonville, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) north of Memphis in flat farmland near a bend in the Mississippi River. Prison officials offered a reward of up to $17,500 for information leading to Morley’s arrest.