Truck stolen by escaped Tennessee inmate is found abandoned in Illinois,
authorities say
[October 28, 2026]
By JEFFREY COLLINS
An escaped Tennessee inmate convicted of murdering a co-worker stole a
truck from a nearby farm and apparently made it to southern Illinois
before abandoning it, authorities said Tuesday.
Jacob Morley, who was serving a life sentence for killing a co-worker
four years ago, was found to be missing from the Northwest Correctional
Complex late on Sunday.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation released surveillance video from
the farm, which is near Tiptonville and about a 2-mile (3-kilometer)
walk through fields from the prison, showing Morley open the truck's
unlocked driver's side door and drive off at about 1 a.m. Monday.
Firefighters in Hornbeak, about 12 miles (19 kilometers) east of the
farm, said on social media that investigators confirmed their cameras
captured footage of the truck driving by their station about 15 minutes
later.
The truck was found abandoned Tuesday in Marion, Illinois, about 120
miles (193 kilometers) north of the prison and roughly 90 miles (145
kilometers) southeast of St. Louis.
Marion Police Chief David Fitts said the truck appeared to be left
neatly parked behind a shopping center at 4 a.m. Tuesday, according to
surveillance video. Someone reported it to police at about 11 a.m.
Tennessee investigators said Morley still hasn’t been found.
“He has vanished,” Fitts said. “We haven't had any reports of stolen
vehicles or anything else suspicious around here.”
Authorities said Morley, 28, slipped through a fence in his prison
clothes, but they haven't released additional details, including whether
they think anyone helped him.
Morley is white, 5 feet 11 inches (1.8 meters) tall and weighs 240
pounds (109 kilograms). He has brown hair and green eyes.
Morley is 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.
Along with first-degree murder, Morley was convicted of aggravated
burglary, tampering with evidence, vandalism and evading arrest. When
Morley saw deputies at his home, he led officers on a chase that ended
in North Carolina, authorities said.
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This image from security video provided by John Lindamood shows
escaped inmate Jacob Allen Morley, bottom right, stealing a white
Ford F-350 from the Lindamood Planting Company early Monday, Oct.
26, 2026, in Lake County, Tenn. (John Lindamood via AP)
Prison officials have offered a reward of up to $2,500 for Morley's
arrest. They said law enforcement agencies have searched buildings and
other structures near the prison, which is about 90 miles (145
kilometers) north of Memphis in flat farmland near a bend in the
Mississippi River.
The escape is the latest of a string of problems in Tennessee prisons.
Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada announced his
resignation after less than three years on the job following the failed
execution of Christa Pike on Sept. 30.
Pike remained alive after being given two massive doses of
pentobarbital, the drug Tennessee uses in lethal injections. Her lawyers
said it appears the IVs in her arms were never properly inserted into
her veins or blew out quickly, keeping the drugs from entering her
bloodstream. The state is conducting an independent investigation into
its death penalty system and what happened to Pike.
Meanwhile, several violent attacks between inmates and by employees have
been reported in recent years at Northwest Correctional Complex. A grand
jury in July returned dozens of indictments for five inmate killings and
other violent acts.
In a hearing before a Tennessee Senate subcommittee last month, prison
officials said they had 470 open jobs among its 6,000-person workforce.
They also warned a 2022 law requiring inmates to serve more of their
sentences was increasing prison populations and could lead to
overcrowding.
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