Tennessee Prisoner Jacob Morley Captured in Missouri After Nine-Day Manhunt
The convicted murderer was taken into custody in Carroll County, Mo., after traveling through the Kansas City area following his escape from a Tennessee facility.
By Fatou Mitchell ·
Jacob Morley, a 28-year-old convicted murderer, was taken into custody in Missouri on Tuesday after escaping a Tennessee prison nine days earlier. State troopers apprehended Morley as he traveled through the Kansas City area, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. He had breached a prison fence and fled in a stolen truck, a sequence of events that triggered a multi-state search.
The capture concluded a manhunt that involved authorities in Tennessee, Illinois, and Missouri. Morley is serving a life sentence for the 2022 murder of his co-worker, Cody Birchfield. Birchfield was reported missing in February 2022 before being found in a box under Morley’s house weeks later. Morley was also convicted of first-degree murder, aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, evading arrest, and vandalism.
Staff at the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee, noticed Morley was missing late on October 25. Security footage showed the inmate cutting through the perimeter fence while wearing his prison uniform. He hid among pallets and a trash cart behind the main kitchen before stealing a 2008 white Ford F-350 around 1 a.m. District Attorney Danny Goodman Jr. stated that a correctional officer conducted a routine cell count at 9:30 p.m., but an inmate falsely claimed Morley was inside his cell.
Morley arrived in Marion, Illinois, by 4:40 a.m. on October 26, but local law enforcement was not notified until 6:15 a.m. Goodman said this delay prevented local police from patrolling the area immediately. The stolen truck was found abandoned in Marion around 10 a.m. on October 27, roughly 130 miles north of the prison. Police in Marion, a city of about 17,600 people, searched neighborhoods and canvassed the area for days.
Authorities used FLOCK technology to track Morley’s movement. The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Information Analysis Center received a tip that Morley might be in the state. FLOCK cameras then located him in a vehicle traveling south on Missouri Route 291. Law enforcement from various agencies closed in on his position.
The Kansas City Police Department followed Morley via helicopter. His vehicle became stuck while attempting to drive off the road. A trooper then took him into custody without incident around 11:30 a.m. in Carroll County, near Norborne, Missouri. The location is approximately 50 miles east-northeast of Kansas City.
The Tennessee Department of Correction expressed gratitude to law enforcement partners and the public for their assistance. The department had previously placed Morley on its Most Wanted list and offered a $17,500 reward for information leading to his arrest. He was the second inmate to escape TDOC custody in October, following Gregory Redden, a 63-year-old convicted of aggravated robbery, who escaped from Nashville General Hospital on October 21.
Residents of Marion reported increased vigilance during the search. Local attorney Bridget Lawler noted that many residents locked their car doors and checked house entrances before bed. Williamson County Sheriff Jeff Diederich said the department was not willing to take chances with the safety of citizens. Carrie Norman, the victim’s sister, said learning of the escape made her feel sick to her stomach and brought back painful memories.
The investigation into the escape continues. The district attorney said he does not know what tool Morley used to cut the fence or how he obtained it. The Tennessee Department of Correction and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation issued warnings to residents to check properties for unusual items and to look out for vulnerable individuals during the multiday search.
