Tennessee Fugitive on the Run in Stolen Truck With Plate 138BBQV

A manhunt for a life-sentence murder convict began after he escaped a Tennessee prison and stole a work truck on Sunday night.

Jacob Allen Morley, 28, breached a fence at the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville around 11:30 p.m. Sunday. He was still wearing prison clothing during the breach, according to security video reviewed by officials. The Tennessee Department of Correction conducted an emergency count and search of the facility immediately after staff discovered he was unaccounted for.

About 90 minutes later, at roughly 1 a.m. Monday, surveillance footage showed Morley taking a vehicle on the 400 block of Keystone Drive, about two miles south of the prison. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation identified the vehicle as a white 2008 Ford F-350. It bears the name Lindamood Planting Company on the side and carries an air compressor in the bed. The Tennessee license plate is 138BBQV.

Morley is 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs 240 pounds. He has brown hair and green eyes. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation placed him on the state's most wanted list and described him as dangerous. Federal and state law enforcement agencies are assisting in the search.

Morley received a life sentence after his 2025 conviction for the murder of Cody Birchfield. The crime occurred three years before the trial. Birchfield was last seen in Elizabethton in early February 2022. Investigators found indications of a violent crime inside Birchfield's house. Morley was arrested in March 2022 after a police chase crossed into North Carolina. Birchfield's body was found under Morley's home following the arrest. Morley was also convicted of burglary, vandalism, tampering with evidence, and evading arrest.

Landree Sheperd, Morley's former girlfriend, testified at the trial. She stated that Morley told her, "he f, ing killed him." The public can report information about Morley's whereabouts by calling 844-832-3463.