Convicted Killer ‘Vanishes’ from Prison in Tennessee

A convicted murderer who escaped from a Tennessee prison while serving a life sentence has seemingly vanished without a trace, leaving authorities scrambling to track him down after his stolen getaway truck turned up abandoned in another state.

Jacob Allen Morley, 28, remained on the run Tuesday, October 27, as a massive manhunt stretched beyond Tennessee into Illinois. The latest discovery has raised troubling questions about where the fugitive could be headed next.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation confirmed that a white Ford F-350 pickup allegedly stolen by Morley was discovered abandoned in Marion, Illinois, approximately 120 miles from the Northwest Correctional Complex, where he escaped Sunday night.

But there was one major problem: Morley was nowhere to be found.

Marion Police Chief David Fitts told The Associated Press that surveillance footage showed the truck being parked behind a shopping center around 4 a.m. Tuesday. It was apparently left neatly parked, and police were not notified until approximately 11 a.m.

“He has vanished,” Fitts said, adding that police had received no reports of stolen vehicles or other suspicious activity in the area.

The alarming development came less than two days after prison officials discovered Morley missing from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee.

According to the Tennessee Department of Correction, staff realized the convicted killer was unaccounted for around 11:30 p.m. Sunday, October 25. An emergency search followed, and surveillance footage revealed that Morley had breached the prison’s perimeter fence while still wearing his correctional uniform.

Exactly how he managed to get through the fence remains unclear. Authorities also have not publicly determined whether anyone helped him escape.

Investigators soon uncovered another disturbing piece of the puzzle.

Security cameras reportedly captured Morley stealing a white 2008 Ford F-350 from a nearby property around 1 a.m. Monday. The truck belonged to Lindamood Planting Company and was marked with the business’s name.

Additional footage captured the vehicle passing the Hornbeak Fire Department approximately 15 minutes later, providing investigators with an early glimpse of the fugitive’s movements.

By Tuesday morning, the vehicle had surfaced across state lines, but the man suspected of driving it had disappeared once again.

Morley’s violent criminal history has made the search particularly urgent.

He was serving a life sentence for the 2022 murder of his former coworker, Cody Birchfield, whose disappearance sparked an investigation in eastern Tennessee.

Birchfield had been missing for weeks before investigators made a grim discovery in March 2022: His remains were concealed beneath Morley’s home.

Morley was convicted of first-degree murder in 2025, along with other crimes connected to the case. His criminal history also includes aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, vandalism and evading arrest.

During the original murder investigation, Morley led authorities on a vehicle pursuit that ended across the state line in North Carolina.

Now, investigators are once again trying to locate him after another escape across state lines.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has placed Morley on its Most Wanted list and warned that he should be considered dangerous. Authorities are offering a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to his arrest.

The search has involved local, state and federal agencies, with Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers and aircraft assisting the effort. Officials have also urged residents to review home security cameras, doorbell footage and other surveillance recordings for anything that might help establish Morley’s movements.

Morley is described by the Tennessee Department of Correction as approximately 5 feet, 11 inches tall and weighing 240 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes.

Lake County Sheriff Bryan Avery has urged the public to remain vigilant and avoid confronting the escapee.

Anyone who spots Morley is instructed to call 911 immediately rather than attempting to approach or detain him. Tips can also be submitted to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-TBI-FIND.

For now, the abandoned truck has provided authorities with their biggest new clue. But until Morley is located, the mystery of his whereabouts remains unresolved.