Tennessee fugitive caught near Missouri
Jacob Allen Morley was taken into custody on Interstate 70 after a week-long manhunt.
By Ethan Cooper ·
A convicted murderer who fled a Tennessee prison was captured in Missouri on Tuesday morning, ending a manhunt that spanned three states.
Jacob Allen Morley, 28, was taken into custody at 11:34 a.m. near Independence, Missouri, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The capture occurred on Interstate 70, roughly 100 miles north of where he initially escaped.
The sequence began at 9:30 a.m. when the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation sent information to the Missouri State Highway Patrol indicating Morley was traveling west on the interstate. Flock Safety cameras located his vehicle. A police helicopter tracked the car as it attempted to leave the roadway. The vehicle became stuck, and a patrol officer confronted Morley and took him into custody without incident.
Morley disappeared from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee, around 11:30 p.m. on Oct. 25. Security footage showed him breaching the perimeter fence. He allegedly stole a white Ford F-350 truck, which was later found abandoned in Marion, Illinois, about 123 miles from his last confirmed sighting in Tennessee.
The fugitive was convicted in 2025 for the 2022 killing of his co-worker, Cody Birchfield, 34. Court documents state Morley shot Birchfield in the back of the head and hid the body in a metal box under his own residence. Morley claimed self-defense during the trial and reported a history of bipolar disorder. He had no prior felony record before this case.
Carrie Norman, Birchfield’s sister, described her brother’s killer as a very dangerous man who would kill if given a weapon. She thanked authorities in a statement released Tuesday afternoon after the capture.
Morley is scheduled to stand trial on charges including murder, abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence, and aggravated burglary. He received a life sentence following his conviction.
