Tennessee Murderer Jacob Morley Caught in Missouri After Second Truck Theft

Jacob Allen Morley was arrested near Kansas City, Missouri, on Tuesday. Missouri State Highway Patrol officers took the 28-year-old into custody without incident as he drove through the area. This ends a multi-state search that began in October.

The capture followed a discovery made early Tuesday morning in rural Williamson County, Illinois. Deputies responded to a report of a stolen white 2005 Ford pickup truck at 7:34 a.m. Investigators identified the vehicle as a farm truck and confirmed Morley was the one who took it. Evidence showed he had left southern Illinois in that truck and was heading west.

The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office coordinated with the Illinois State Police, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and Missouri authorities. They shared Morley’s likely route and a description of the vehicle. This information led directly to his arrest by state troopers.

Morley originally escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Lake County, Tennessee, on Oct. 25. An inmate covered for him during a 9:30 p.m. headcount, but an officer noticed he was missing at 10:00 p.m. Investigators found that Morley had hidden behind the prison’s main kitchen among pallets and a trash cart. He cut through the perimeter fences to get out.

Around 1:00 a.m. on Oct. 26, Morley stole a 2008 Ford F-350 utility truck in Lake County. He drove to Illinois and abandoned that first truck in Marion around 4:40 a.m. He evaded heavy law enforcement searches in the area for over a week before stealing the farm truck on Tuesday. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation placed him on its Most Wanted list with a reward of up to $17,500 for his arrest.

Morley is serving a life sentence with the possibility of parole. He was convicted of the 2022 murder of coworker Cody Birchfield in Carter County, Tennessee. Following the escape, friends and family of Birchfield issued public warnings. They described Morley as a dangerous killer who would not hesitate to strike again. Authorities were also investigating if he was linked to an armed bank robbery in Dane County, Wisconsin, during his time on the run.

Extradition details and formal charges regarding his escape and vehicle thefts have not yet been announced.