Illinois Police Search for Escaped Tennessee Murderer Jacob Morley
A $15,000 reward has been posted for information on the 28-year-old fugitive who fled a correctional center in Tennessee on Sunday.
By Layla Petrov ·
Residents of Marion, Illinois, are living under a heightened alert after police confirmed that a convicted murderer escaped from Tennessee and may have passed through their town. The manhunt expanded Wednesday as authorities stated that Jacob Morley has no known ties to the community, though his stolen vehicle was discovered there.
Marion Police Chief David Fitts said the investigation suggests Morley is no longer in the area. He noted that the town of approximately 16,000 people is a likely stop for travelers due to the presence of Interstate 57, a major highway that cuts directly through the center of the municipality.
Morley, 28, slipped away from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee, before 11:30 p.m. on Sunday. Prison staff discovered his absence during a routine headcount and immediately launched an emergency search of the facility. Security footage provided by the Tennessee Department of Correction shows the inmate cutting through the perimeter fence and leaving the grounds in his prison uniform.
The department stated on Wednesday that it is still investigating the specific method of the escape. Morley was serving a life sentence for crimes committed in 2022, including the first-degree murder of a co-worker named Cody Birchfield. Court records indicate Morley shot Birchfield in the head and concealed the body in a metal container beneath his home.
Early Tuesday, a work truck believed to have been stolen by Morley was found behind a business in Marion. Fitts reported that no other vehicles were taken in the area and no physical evidence was left at the scene. The police chief urged citizens to remain vigilant but to avoid approaching the suspect, advising them to call 911 if they see him.
The financial reward for information leading to Morley's capture rose from $2,500 to $15,000 on Wednesday. The combined funding comes from the Tennessee governor’s office, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Carrie Norman, the sister of the murder victim, described the ongoing search as feeling like a scary movie. She explained that her family is forced to re-experience the trauma of the case because the location of the fugitive remains unknown.
