Escaped Tennessee Inmate's Stolen Truck Found in Illinois

A stolen truck traveled approximately 120 miles from a Tennessee prison to southern Illinois before being abandoned, authorities said Tuesday. The vehicle belonged to a farm near Tiptonville, roughly two miles from the Northwest Correctional Complex.

Jacob Morley, 28, was discovered missing from the facility late Sunday. Surveillance footage released by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation shows Morley opening the unlocked driver's side door of the truck and driving away at about 1 a.m. Monday. Firefighters in Hornbeak, 12 miles east of the farm, confirmed via social media that station cameras captured the truck passing about 15 minutes later.

The truck was located in Marion, Illinois, on Tuesday. The town lies roughly 90 miles southeast of St. Louis. Despite the vehicle's discovery, investigators reported that Morley has not yet been found. Officials stated he escaped in prison clothes by slipping through a fence. They have not released details on whether an accomplice assisted him.

Morley is white, 5 feet 11 inches tall, and weighs 240 pounds. He has brown hair and green eyes. He is serving a life sentence for the 2022 murder of co-worker Cody Birchfield in Carter County. Birchfield's body was found in a box under Morley's home after weeks of being missing. Morley was also convicted of aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, vandalism, and evading arrest. Deputies said a chase led by Morley ended in North Carolina.

Prison officials have offered a reward of up to $2,500 for Morley's arrest. Law enforcement agencies have searched buildings and structures near the prison, which sits in flat farmland 90 miles north of Memphis.

The escape adds to recent issues at Tennessee correctional facilities. Commissioner Frank Strada resigned in September following the failed execution of Christa Pike on Sept. 30. Pike survived two doses of pentobarbital, likely because IVs were not properly inserted. An independent investigation into the death penalty system is underway.

Northwest Correctional Complex has faced multiple violent attacks in recent years. A grand jury returned dozens of indictments in July for five inmate killings and other violent acts. At a Senate subcommittee hearing last month, officials reported 470 open jobs among a 6,000-person workforce. They also warned that a 2022 law requiring longer sentences is increasing prison populations and could lead to overcrowding.