A convicted murderer who escaped from a Tennessee prison has been captured near Kansas City, Missouri, ending a manhunt that stretched across several US states. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) announced on Tuesday, November 3, that Jacob Allen Morley, 28, was in custody, according to CBS News and ABC News.
How he escaped
Morley was serving a life sentence at the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, in north-west Tennessee. Prison officers found him missing at about 11:30pm on October 25, CBS News reported. Security footage showed him, still in his prison uniform, slipping through a fence on the prison grounds. The authorities have released few other details about how he got out.
In the early hours of October 27, a white Ford F-350 pickup truck belonging to a farming company was stolen in Lake County, Tennessee. It was later found in Marion, Illinois, according to CBS News.
The capture
On Tuesday, police in Illinois responded to a report of another stolen vehicle south-west of Marion. The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office said it determined that Morley had taken a white Ford pickup used as a farm vehicle, ABC News reported. Working with other law enforcement agencies, officers tracked him, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol arrested him “as he traveled through the Kansas City, Missouri, area.”
The TBI thanked the public for its help. It said it was grateful “for your assistance, vigilance, and the tips provided during this investigation,” CBS News reported. The TBI, the Tennessee Department of Correction, the governor’s office and the US Marshals had offered combined rewards of up to $17,500 for information leading to his arrest.
Who is Jacob Morley?
Morley was convicted of the 2022 killing of his former coworker, Cody Birchfield, whose body was found under Morley’s home in Carter County, east Tennessee, according to CBS News. He was also convicted of aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, vandalism and evading arrest, and was sentenced to life in prison.
What happens next
Morley is expected to be returned to Tennessee custody. He could face new charges linked to his escape and the stolen vehicles, although officials had not announced any charges at the time of writing. The escape is also likely to raise questions about security at the Northwest Correctional Complex and about how an inmate serving life was able to get through a perimeter fence.
Sources: CBS News, ABC News, KCTV5, Fox News.
