Manhunt for escaped Tennessee murder convict crosses state lines after his stolen truck is found abandoned in Illinois
By Chris Boyette, Julianna Bragg, Vivian Phillips, CNN
(CNN) — The search for a convicted murderer who escaped from a Tennessee prison has crossed state lines after authorities found his stolen getaway truck in southern Illinois.
The white 2008 Ford F-350 with Tennessee plates that Jacob Morley, 28, stole after his escape was found abandoned early Tuesday in Marion, Illinois, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said.
Morley’s “whereabouts remain unknown, and locating him continues to be an urgent priority for law enforcement,” the TBI said Tuesday.
“Illinois State Police is aware of the situation and has offered its assistance to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation,” police said in a statement Wednesday.
Morley is now on the TBI’s “Most Wanted” list, with a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to his arrest.
He is the second inmate to escape in the past week from the custody of the Tennessee Department of Correction, whose commissioner resigned following the botched execution and hospitalization last month of Christa Pike, who’s now back in a maximum-security prison.
Morley escaped through a fence at Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee, late Sunday. Staff realized he was missing around 11:30 p.m., according to the Department of Correction.
Security camera footage later revealed Morley “breached the perimeter fence” and left the facility wearing his prison uniform, the department said. He then stole the truck early Monday in Lake County, according to the TBI.
He had been sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of first-degree murder, aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, evading arrest and vandalism.
Morley was convicted in the killing of Cody Birchfield, who was initially reported missing in February 2022, according to the Carter County Sheriff’s Office.
Birchfield’s body was found weeks after he went missing, in a box under Morley’s house, The Associated Press reported.
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