TBI asks residents to check cameras for Jacob Allen Morley and stolen pickup

Morley joined TBI’s Most Wanted list with reward of up to $2,500

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation asked residents on Monday to check home security systems for Jacob Allen Morley, 28, and a white pickup truck marked “Lindamood Planting Company.” The agency said video obtained amid the search showed that Morley had stolen the truck in Lake County, seemingly from a worksite at 1 a.m.

“Residents are urged to check home security systems, including doorbell cameras and trail cameras, for any sightings of Morley or the stolen truck,” the TBI said in a statement.

TBI added Morley to its Most Wanted list and said a reward of up to $2,500 was being offered for information leading to the escaped convict’s arrest. The camera appeal asked for sightings of both Morley and the truck, while the reward was tied to information leading to Morley’s arrest.

Morley is described as 5 feet, 11 inches tall and weighing approximately 240 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes.

The Tennessee Department of Correction said Morley escaped late Sunday night from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, in northwestern Tennessee. Staff confirmed at 11:30 p.m. CDT Sunday that he was unaccounted for, prompting an emergency count and search of the prison.

A review of security footage confirmed that Morley breached the prison’s perimeter fence and exited the facility in his prison uniform, officials said. The Tennessee Department of Correction did not provide specifics about how the escape occurred.

UPI reported that Morley had been convicted and sentenced to life in prison in 2025 for the 2022 murder of his co-worker Cody Birchfield.

According to the Carter County Sheriff’s Office, Birchfield was reported missing by a family member on Feb. 23, 2022, after last being seen with Morley two days earlier. Investigators determined that a violent crime had occurred at Birchfield’s residence and pursued Morley into North Carolina, where he was arrested in early March. Authorities then found Birchfield’s body during a search of Morley’s residence.