Missouri State Highway Patrol announced Tuesday that Jacob Allen Morley, a convicted killer who escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee, has been taken into custody without incident.
Escape and manhunt
Morley fled the Tennessee facility on Oct. 25. Authorities quickly learned he had stolen a pickup truck from a location just two miles south of the prison. The vehicle was abandoned early the next morning in Marion, Illinois, but the fugitive remained at large.
On Nov. 3, 2026, at about 9:30 a.m., the Patrol’s Missouri Information Analysis Center received a tip from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation indicating Morley might be traveling westbound on Interstate 70 near Independence, Missouri. Using FLOCK cameras, officers located the suspect vehicle and deployed undercover troopers on Missouri 291 in Liberty. The suspect was then tracked to a shed near Marion, Illinois, roughly 127 miles from the prison.
Life in the shed
Williamson County Sheriff Jeff Diederich said investigators believe Morley sheltered in the shed, which hunters use occasionally. Evidence shows he consumed beer and prepared garlic bread while there. He also left a handwritten apology after taking a truck from the farm, and allegedly removed clothing and three firearms from the property.
Authorities estimate Morley covered about three miles on foot after abandoning a second truck he had used following his escape.
Background on the inmate
Morley is serving a life sentence for the 2022 first‑degree murder of Cody Birchfield. He was also convicted of burglary, vandalism, tampering with evidence, and evading arrest.
The capture underscores the cooperation between state law‑enforcement agencies across state lines and the effectiveness of modern surveillance tools in bringing dangerous fugitives to justice.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
