Local
Tennessee prison escape prompts search for convicted killer in Lake County
Jacob Allen Morley, 28, was reported missing from Northwest Correctional Complex late Oct. 25, and authorities say he breached a perimeter fence and left wearing a prison uniform. The Tennessee Department of Correction is coordinating a search and urges the public not to approach him.
A search is underway for Jacob Allen Morley, a 28-year-old serving a life sentence for first-degree murder, after he escaped from Northwest Correctional Complex in Lake County, Tennessee, authorities said Monday, Oct. 26.
Prison staff discovered Morley was unaccounted for at about 11:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25, prompting an emergency count and a search of the facility, according to the Tennessee Department of Correction. Security footage later showed him leaving the prison in his department-issued uniform after breaching the perimeter fence.
The state is working with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to find him. The department warned people not to try to apprehend Morley and said anyone with information should call 911 or TDOC at 844-832-3463.
Morley was convicted in the 2022 killing of Cody Birchfield in Carter County and was sentenced to life in prison last year, according to court records. Birchfield was reported missing after he was last seen in Elizabethton in February 2022. Morley was arrested in North Carolina in early March of that year. Court records say Birchfield’s body was found concealed beneath Morley’s home.
Authorities say Morley faces additional charges following the escape, including evading arrest, aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence and vandalism.
Northwest Correctional Complex is in Lake County, in Tennessee’s far northwest corner, about 80 miles from Jackson.