Jacob Allen Morley, sentenced to life in prison for murder, escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tennessee on October 25, 2026, by cutting through a security fence. The escape was discovered late by guards. [1]
Surveillance footage captured the inmate exiting the building, hiding among pallets, and later stealing a white Ford F-350 truck marked 'Lindamood Planting Company' around 1:00 AM. Staff realized Morley's absence only after another inmate flagged the presence of two people in the cell. [1]
Morley is considered extremely dangerous. After his truck was found abandoned in Marion, Illinois, he allegedly stole a Lincoln car and held bank employees at gunpoint in Deerfield, Wisconsin. Police offered a reward of over $17,000 for his identification. The escapee managed to reach Illinois, more than 200 kilometers away from the prison, where he abandoned the stolen vehicle. [1]
A note of apology was found left next to a stolen truck in the hunting area where he had hidden. The investigation advanced once police located a handwritten note from the escapee in a shed in Illinois. The note contained apologies for the theft and a message to his mother. These details enabled the confirmation of his identity and the subsequent location of the truck on a highway in Missouri. [1]
Morley was captured on Tuesday around 11:30 AM, when the car in which he was trying to escape got stuck near Kansas City. Three stolen firearms were discovered in the vehicle. [1]
Communities affected by the escape, including the family of victim Cody Birchfield, were traumatized by the news of the criminal's flight. The list of the most wanted fugitives and the $17,500 reward reflected the gravity of the situation. Prosecutors announced that additional charges could be added in Tennessee, Illinois, and Missouri. [1]
As the story develops
Update
Spectacular escape and capture in the USA: A convicted lifer who escaped from Tennessee was caught after nine days
Authorities have not yet provided details regarding the reason for traveling toward Kansas City, which is located more than 350 km away, with the author stating 'how he ended up in Marion is a mystery.' Morley reportedly walked approximately 3 km to reach the farm after abandoning another stolen vehicle and avoiding agricultural fields and forests, difficulties with visibility noted in CCTV footage. [2]
Update
The Tennessee escapee, Jacob Morley, prepared garlic bread and left apology notes before capture
Jacob Morley, a condemned murderer in Tennessee for killing his coworker Cody Birchfield in 2022, was captured on Tuesday after an excursion lasting over a week during which he crossed several US states. New details about the pursuit reveal surprising habits of the escapee: before being caught, Morley drank beer, made garlic bread, and left a handwritten apology note after stealing food and weapons from a hunting shelter. [3]
The flight began on the night of October 25, when Morley broke out of the Northwest Correctional Complex in northwestern Tennessee by climbing over a fence in his detention clothes. Surveillance footage shows him stealing a truck from a nearby farm, which he later abandoned in Marion, Illinois, at a distance of approximately 127 kilometers. From there, he reportedly walked approximately 5 kilometers to the farm where he hid, avoiding agricultural land and forests, difficulties with visibility noted in CCTV recordings, according to the Tennessee Department of Correction. [3]
Upon capture, authorities confiscated two hunting rifles and a shotgun from his truck. Morley, transported to the jail in Lafayette County, Missouri, confessed that he had escaped prison and stolen both the Marion truck and the firearms, according to a probable cause affidavit. He was incarcerated federally in Tennessee for illegal flight to avoid prosecution and, on Tuesday, federally in Missouri for possession of a weapon by a convicted person. [3]
- Categories:
- Society
- Entities:
Sources
- MediaFax Un criminal condamnat pe viață în SUA a evadat din închisoare și a fost prins după nouă zile. Cadavrul victimei fusese ascuns sub casa sa
- CNN Escaped killer drank beer, made garlic bread and apologized in writing before capture
- cbsnews.com Escaped killer hid in shed, stole truck, left apology note before capture
