KANSAS CITY, MO — A Tennessee inmate who escaped from prison last month has been captured in Kansas City, Missouri, ending a search that stretched for more than a week, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

Authorities identified the man as 28-year-old Jacob Morley. The TBI said Tuesday that he is now in custody after investigators had been looking for him since he slipped away from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville on Oct. 25.

Officials thanked members of the public for helping with the investigation and said tips played a role in the effort to locate him.

How Morley got out of the Northwest Correctional Complex

Morley’s escape started at the Northwest Correctional Complex, where staff later realized he was missing and opened an investigation. The prison is in Tiptonville, in western Tennessee.

Surveillance footage showed Morley getting past the facility’s fence while wearing a Tennessee Department of Correction uniform, according to authorities. The video also captured him taking a white Ford pickup truck as part of the escape.

The incident quickly turned into an interstate search, with law enforcement following leads across several states as they tried to figure out where Morley had gone after leaving the facility.

Stolen pickup truck was recovered in Illinois

The truck taken during the escape was later discovered abandoned in Marion, Illinois, on Oct. 27, two days after Morley left the prison.

That recovery helped investigators piece together his movements after the escape, though the full path of the search was not immediately detailed by authorities. The abandoned vehicle became one of the key developments in the case as officers continued trying to locate the fugitive.

Even with the truck found, Morley remained at large for another week while the search continued and officials worked through new leads.

Why Kansas City became the focus of the case

By Tuesday, the search ended in Kansas City, where authorities arrested Morley. The TBI announced the capture and said he was finally in custody after being on the run for more than a week.

Officials did not immediately release additional details about the arrest, including the circumstances that led investigators to him in Missouri. What they did say was that public assistance had helped move the case forward.

The arrest marked the end of a multi-state manhunt that began with the prison escape in Tennessee and later moved through Illinois before ending in Missouri.

The manhunt drew on tips from the public

In a social media post, the TBI thanked the public for helping with the search. The agency said tips were useful during the investigation, suggesting that outside information helped narrow the search as agents and officers tracked Morley.

Authorities have not said whether any single tip led directly to the arrest, but the public’s role was significant enough for investigators to mention it in their update.

The case also shows how quickly a prison escape can become a regional law-enforcement effort when a suspect is believed to have moved across state lines.

What has been released so far about the case

So far, officials have confirmed Morley’s identity, the date of the escape, the prison where it happened and the fact that he is now back in custody. They have also confirmed the abandoned truck in Illinois and the use of surveillance footage in the investigation.

Beyond that, authorities have not publicly shared a detailed timeline of the search or the circumstances of the arrest in Missouri. The TBI’s announcement focused on the capture and thanked the public for helping bring the case to a close.

For now, the central facts are clear: Morley escaped in Tennessee, the stolen truck was found in Illinois, and the search ended with his arrest in Kansas City.