Tennessee Murder Convict Found Hiding in Illinois Shed After Two-Week Flight

Jacob Allen Morley, a man serving a life sentence for first-degree murder, was recaptured on Tuesday after spending the last two weeks hiding in a shed in rural Illinois. The 32-year-old fugitive broke out of the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee, on October 25. His capture ended a multi-state search that involved law enforcement agencies from Tennessee, Illinois, and Missouri.

Officials stated that Morley used a shed near Marion, Illinois, as his primary base while on the run. The structure is located roughly 127 miles from his prison and is occasionally used by local hunters. Williamson County Sheriff Jeff Diederich reported that evidence at the site showed Morley consumed beer and prepared meals, including garlic bread, during his stay. Investigators also found a handwritten apology letter that Morley left behind after taking a truck from the farm where the shed was located. He reportedly removed clothes and three firearms from the property as well.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol announced the arrest on Tuesday. Their Missouri Information Analysis Center and Troop A Communications received a tip from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation on November 3 at approximately 9:30 a.m. The information indicated Morley was traveling westbound on Interstate 70 near Independence. Law enforcement used FLOCK cameras to track the suspect vehicle. Officers then located the car traveling south on Missouri 291 in Liberty, leading to a clean arrest.

Authorities believe Morley traveled on foot for about three miles after abandoning a second truck. The first vehicle he stole was a pickup truck taken from the 400 block of Keystone Drive, about two miles south of the prison, around 1 a.m. on October 26. Police found that initial truck abandoned in Marion early the morning after the escape, but they did not find Morley at the time. Sheriff Diederich described the circumstances of how Morley ended up in Marion as a mystery.

Morley was convicted in 2022 for the first-degree murder of Cody Birchfield. Birchfield disappeared in early February 2022 after being last seen in Elizabethton, Tennessee. Investigators from the Carter County Sheriff's Office found signs of a violent crime in Birchfield's home. Morley was arrested on March 2, 2022, after a police chase that extended to the North Carolina state line. Birchfield's body was found under Morley's home following his arrest. Morley also has prior convictions for burglary, vandalism, tampering with evidence, and evading arrest.