Escaped Tennessee Murderer Jacob Morley Captured Near Kansas City

Jacob Morley, a convicted murderer who escaped from a Tennessee prison, was captured on Tuesday near Kansas City, Missouri, ending a manhunt, authorities said.

The 28-year-old inmate was taken into custody without incident around 11:30 a.m. local time by the Missouri State Highway Patrol in Carroll County, near Norborne, Missouri. Investigators caught up with him after automated license plate readers and an aerial helicopter from the Kansas City Police Department tracked a stolen work truck he was driving.

According to the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a report of a stolen vehicle southwest of Marion, Illinois. Investigators determined the vehicle—a white 2005 Ford pickup utilized as a farm vehicle—had been taken by Morley.

How the Escape Unfolded in Tiptonville

Morley’s time on the run began late last month at the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee. Correctional officers discovered Morley was missing during an emergency count and search at approximately 11:30 p.m. on October 25. Security cameras later confirmed that Morley had breached a perimeter fence and exited the facility wearing his prison uniform.

CBS News reported that investigators subsequently released security footage showing Morley stealing a white 2008 Ford F-350 with Tennessee plates and a logo for the Lindamood Planting Company in the early hours of October 27. That truck was located later that same day in Marion, Illinois, leaving little information about Morley’s whereabouts until his arrest on Tuesday.

The Guardian added that when troopers closed in on Tuesday morning, Morley was driving a metal flatbed work truck with a white cab. After automated readers spotted the vehicle on Interstate 70, the truck ultimately veered off the road and got stuck in the mud in rural Carroll County, where a state trooper apprehended him.

Morley Serves Life Sentence for Murder After Prison Escape

At the time of his breakout, Morley was serving a life sentence for the 2022 murder of Cody Birchfield, a former coworker in Carter County, Tennessee. Court records and investigations showed Birchfield’s body was discovered in a box under Morley’s home after he had been reported missing. Along with first-degree murder, Morley was convicted of aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, vandalism, and evading arrest following a manhunt that ended in North Carolina.

The men’s prison, which has a capacity to hold 1,776 inmates, has faced a series of violent incidents and operational hurdles in recent months. A grand jury returned dozens of indictments in July following five inmate murders and staff assaults, while state correction officials grapple with ongoing leadership and oversight challenges.

Law enforcement officials have not yet disclosed precise details regarding how Morley managed to breach the prison fence, nor have they clarified his exact destination or how he acquired the second work truck in Illinois. Authorities stated that additional information regarding the investigation will be released as it becomes available.

More on this story: Manhunt Underway for Convicted Murderer Jacob Morley After Tennessee Prison Escape · Arkansas Police Search for Escaped Inmate After Taser Theft

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