Inmate escapes Davidson County prison, stolen truck found in Illinois

A stolen truck was located abandoned in Marion, Illinois, roughly 120 miles north of the Northwest Correctional Complex, according to Tennessee authorities on Tuesday. The vehicle belonged to a farm near Tiptonville and was taken by Jacob Morley, an inmate who slipped out of the prison complex late Sunday. Investigators confirmed that Morley was still missing as of Tuesday.

Surveillance video released by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation shows Morley opening the unlocked driver's side door of the truck and driving away at approximately 1 a.m. Monday. The farm is situated about two miles from the prison, across open fields. Firefighters in Hornbeak, located 12 miles east of the farm, stated that their cameras captured the truck passing their station 15 minutes after it left the farm.

Morley, 28, escaped wearing his prison clothes. He is white, 5 feet 11 inches tall, and weighs 240 pounds. He has brown hair and green eyes. Prison officials have not disclosed whether they believe anyone assisted him in the escape. A reward of up to $2,500 is currently offered for his arrest.

Morley serves a life sentence for the 2022 murder of his co-worker, Cody Birchfield. Birchfield's body was discovered in a box under Morley's home in Carter County after the man had been missing for several weeks. Morley was also convicted of aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, vandalism, and evading arrest. He led deputies on a chase from his home that ended in North Carolina.

The Northwest Correctional Complex is located in flat farmland near a bend in the Mississippi River, about 90 miles north of Memphis. Law enforcement agencies have searched buildings and structures near the facility. This escape follows a series of issues within the Tennessee prison system. Commissioner Frank Strada resigned in September after the failed execution of Christa Pike on Sept. 30. Pike survived two doses of pentobarbital because her IV lines were not properly inserted.

A state independent investigation is reviewing the death penalty system and the Pike execution. In July, a grand jury returned dozens of indictments for five inmate killings and other violent acts at the Northwest Correctional Complex. Prison officials testified before a Senate subcommittee last month that the department has 470 open jobs among its 6,000-person workforce. They warned that a 2022 law requiring longer sentences is increasing prison populations and could lead to overcrowding.