A man convicted of murder is at large after he escaped a Tennessee prison where he’s been serving a life sentence, authorities said.
Jacob Allen Morley escaped the Northwest Correctional Complex in Lake County the evening of Sunday, October 25, according to the Tennessee Department of Correction. He’s wanted by the department and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
Morley, 28, “should be considered dangerous,” the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said in a Monday, October 26, Facebook post. He’s been added to the state’s most wanted list.
Morley is described as 6 feet tall, weighing around 240 to 270 pounds, with green eyes and brown hair.
Officials are calling on the public’s help in locating him.
“Residents in the area are asked to check home security and doorbell cameras, trail and hunting cameras, and other surveillance systems for possible sightings or activity,” the Tennessee Department of Correction said in an update shared to Facebook on Monday.
“Anyone who sees Morley or has information about his whereabouts should not approach him,” the department warned.
Morley was sentenced to life in prison after he was convicted of first-degree murder, aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, evading arrest and vandalism in connection with the death of Cody Birchfield, according to authorities.
Birchfield was considered missing until his body was found buried below Morley’s home in March 2022, WJHL-TV reported.
The Carter County Sheriff’s Office started investigating Birchfield’s disappearance in February 2022 following the last sighting of him in Elizabethton, according to The Tennessean.
Morley was found guilty of murder in Birchfield’s death in February 2025, before he was sentenced in the case in June 2025, per the TV station.
Morley allegedly escaped the Northwest Correctional Complex, which has the capacity to house up to 1,776 male inmates, by slipping through a fence, according to the Associated Press.
As of Monday, investigators “have searched and cleared buildings and structures in the surrounding area, and the Tennessee Highway Patrol has deployed aviation assets and state troopers to assist with the search,” the Tennessee Department of Correction said.
Authorities are offering $2,500 for information leading to Morley’s arrest and urge anyone who sees Morley to call 911 or the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-TBI-FIND.
