Escaped Tennessee inmate captured, authorities say
Surveillance footage of escaped inmate Jacob Allen Morley.ShareAdd NBC News to GoogleNov. 3, 2026, 1:01 PM EST / Updated Nov. 3, 2026, 2:26 PM ESTBy Dennis Romero and Daniella SilvaJacob Allen Morley, the convicted murderer who escaped from a Tennessee prison, is in custody, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said Tuesday.
The capture came more than a week after he escaped on Oct. 25 from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville — a town of about 3,500, roughly 100 miles north of Memphis — and allegedly stole a truck that was later found abandoned in Illinois.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced that Morley was captured near Kansas City, Missouri, and was in custody on Tuesday.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol said it received information from the TBI at around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday that Morley may have been traveling west on Interstate 70 near Independence, according to a statement. Morley’s vehicle was located by Flock Safety cameras, the statement said.
Officers from multiple agencies moved into the area as it “was believed the suspect was armed with multiple weapons,” the statement said. A police helicopter then spotted Morley’s car and followed it.
Morley’s car “attempted to travel off the roadway and became stuck, at which time a trooper with the Patrol confronted Morley and took him into custody without incident,” the statement said.
He was taken into custody on Tuesday around 11:34 a.m., police said.
Prison officials discovered Morley, 28, was missing around 11:30 p.m. on Oct. 25. Security video showed he had breached a perimeter fence, the Tennessee Department of Correction said in a statement.
“He has been added to the Tennessee Most Wanted list and should be considered dangerous,” it said.
Morley was convicted in 2025 of murder, abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence and aggravated burglary in the killing of co-worker Cody Birchfield, 34, in 2022, according to court documents shared by the Carter County Clerk’s Office in Tennessee.
Jacob Morley shown in a booking photo released by the Tennessee Department of Correction on July 24, 2025.Tennessee Department of CorrectionsIn an interview with NBC News, Birchfield’s sister, Carrie Norman, called her brother’s killer “a very dangerous man.”
“And if he gets ahold of any kind of weapon, he will kill somebody,” she said.
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The white Ford F-350 truck that Morley allegedly stole had passed the Hornbeak Fire Department in the town of Hornbeak, Tennessee, shortly after the theft early Monday. Hornbreak is 12 miles east of Tiptonville.
The fire department on its Facebook page posted timestamped still images from security video showing the truck driving by.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said Tuesday that the truck was found abandoned in Marion, Illinois, about 123 miles north of Hornbeak.
It was left behind a business, police there and in Tennessee said.
Morley was accused of shooting Birchfield in the back of the head. Birchfield’s body was found in a large metal box under Morley’s residence in northeast Tennessee, court documents state.
A motive was unclear, and Morley claimed self-defense during trial. He reported that had been hospitalized multiple times for mental health issues, including bipolar disorder, and had no prior felony offenses, according to the records.
Morley was sentenced to life in prison following his conviction.
Dennis RomeroDennis Romero is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.
Daniella SilvaDaniella Silva is a national reporter for NBC News, focusing on immigration.
