Manhunt Underway After Inmate Escapes Tennessee Prison

Jacob Allen Morley, 28, escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee, on October 25, 2026, and state authorities are searching for him. The Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC), the state agency that runs its prisons, announced the escape on Monday.

Prison staff noticed that Morley was unaccounted for at about 11:30 p.m. on Sunday, according to The Guardian. Surveillance footage showed him breaching the perimeter fence, the outer barrier around the facility. He left wearing his TDOC uniform.

Morley was serving a life sentence for the 2022 murder of Cody Birchfield. Birchfield was first reported missing in February 2022, and about a month later his body was found buried beneath Morley's home. Morley was also convicted of aggravated burglary, evidence tampering, evading arrest and vandalism.

TDOC describes Morley as 5 feet 11 inches tall and 240 pounds, with green eyes and brown hair. The department said it is working closely with law enforcement to find him, and it has issued a BOLO notice, a law enforcement alert, stating that it is searching for him.

The public has been told not to try to apprehend him. Anyone with information is asked to call 911 or to report it to (844) 832-3463.

The Kfvs12 report gave his full name.