How Tennessee's missing inmate escaped prison as $2,500 reward offered for missing fugitive

A man serving a life sentence for murder is on the run after escaping from Tennessee state prison on Saturday night.

Staff at the Northwest Correctional Complex learned around 11:30 p.m. that Jacob Morley, 28, was missing, according to the Tennessee Department of Correction.

He has since been added to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's (TBI) 'Most Wanted' list.

Security footage later showed he 'breached the perimeter fence' and left in his prison uniform, the department said. How he got through it remains unclear.

Photos from a wanted poster show surveillance images taken during the escape.

Morley was convicted in the killing of Cody Birchfield, who was initially reported missing in February 2022. (Tennessee Department of Corrections)

At around 1 a.m. on October 26, he stole a white 2008 Ford F-350 with Tennessee plates in Lake County, the TBI said, citing video it obtained.

The truck belonged to Lindamood Planting Company and was carrying tools, according to co-owner John Lindamood.

It was not in service, so employees did not know it was missing until midday Monday.

The Hornbeak Fire Department, about 15 miles from the complex, captured video of Morley driving past its building in the stolen truck at around 1:18 a.m., officials said.

The vehicle was found abandoned early Tuesday in Marion, Illinois.

Cody Birchfield was murdered by Jacob Morley in 2022 (Good Morning America)

Who is Jacob Morley?

Morley's case goes back to 2022, when Cody Birchfield was initially reported missing in February according to the Carter County Sheriff's Office. His body was found in a box under Morley's house weeks later, The Associated Press reported.

Morley also led police on a chase that ended in North Carolina after he found deputies at his home in 2022, authorities said. He was sentenced to life after being convicted of first-degree murder, aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, evading arrest and vandalism.

The TBI is offering reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to his arrest.

Morely is the second inmate to escape the department's custody in the past week.

The other escapee was Gregory Redden, a 63-year-old inmate serving a 15-year prison sentence for aggravated robbery.

It also comes in the same month that Commissioner Frank Strada resigned following the failed executions of Christa Pike, which left her unconscious and on a ventilator at a hospital.

Pike since been released tom the hospital and returned to a maximum-security prison, and her future remains uncertain.

Jacob Allen Morley has been spotting on CCTV several times since his escape. (Tennessee Department of Correction)

What problems has Northwest Correctional Complex faced?

The complex can house up to 1,776 male inmates, according to the state Department of Correction.

In recent years, it has also faced issues with violence among inmates and prison employees. In July, a grand jury returned various indictments related to five inmate murders at the complex and other violent acts.

Staffing shortages have also been a challenge.

Prison officials told a Tennessee Senate subcommittee in September that the complex had 470 vacancies across its 6,000-person workforce, per Associated Press.

TBI told UNILAD: "TBI agents continue to assist our local, state, and federal partners in locating Jacob Morley. Our law enforcement partners in surrounding states have been notified to be on the lookout."

UNILAD has contacted the Tennessee Department of Correction for comment.