MARION, IL — A convicted killer who escaped from a Tennessee prison is still on the run after investigators say he stole a pickup truck, drove into Illinois and abandoned it in Marion before disappearing again. Police say the truck remained in southern Illinois for more than a day before officers found it Tuesday morning.
Authorities are now trying to reconstruct the fugitive’s path hour by hour. District Attorney Danny Goodman Jr. said the man had already crossed into Illinois before local law enforcement was told he was missing, narrowing the window in which officers could have responded. The Tennessee Department of Correction has warned the public that he is dangerous and could be anywhere.
Investigators say the escapee was in Illinois before local police were alerted
Goodman said Jacob Morley was in Marion by about 4:40 a.m. Monday, but local police were not notified until 6:15 a.m. That delay came after multiple inmate counts late Sunday, according to Goodman, who said the gap may have cost officers a chance to intercept him sooner.
He said that if authorities had been told as quickly as the prison system knew Morley was gone, officers could have been patrolling earlier and possibly caught him before he got out of the county. Marion police have since searched neighborhoods, followed tips and reviewed surveillance clips, but they have not confirmed whether he is still in the area.
Police Lt. Justin Dwyer said investigators have seen grainy video that appears to show a person matching Morley’s description, but the department still cannot say with certainty where he went after leaving the truck.
Truck taken in Tennessee was found abandoned on an Illinois street
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says Morley stole a white 2008 Ford F-350 early Monday in Lake County, Tennessee, after leaving the prison. The vehicle was later located abandoned in Marion, roughly 130 miles north of the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville.
Dwyer said surveillance video suggests the truck was left behind around 4:40 a.m. Monday. Officers did not find it until about 10 a.m. Tuesday, meaning it appears to have sat unattended for well over a day. Video evidence indicates Morley then continued on foot toward a highway, investigators said.
Marion police say they have notified local media and are continuing to canvass the area. One resident told CNN she learned about the search through Facebook, underscoring the uncertainty and concern that followed the discovery.
Prison officials say Morley slipped through a perimeter fence late Sunday
Morley, 28, escaped late Sunday from the Northwest Correctional Complex, where prison staff later confirmed he was missing around 11:30 p.m., according to the Tennessee Department of Correction. Goodman said a routine cell count at 9:30 p.m. had already raised questions after an inmate falsely claimed that two people were in Morley’s cell.
Security footage later showed Morley breaking through the perimeter fence and fleeing in his prison uniform, the department said. Goodman added that Morley hid near pallets and a trash cart behind the main kitchen before getting away. He said he does not know what tool was used to cut the fence or how Morley obtained it.
Prison staff alerted an internal investigator around 2 a.m., but Goodman said state agencies and his office were not notified until 5:30 a.m. The Tennessee Department of Correction has not publicly detailed why the broader alert was delayed.
Authorities are warning drivers, homeowners and truckers to stay alert
The Tennessee Department of Correction said Friday that Morley is considered dangerous and could be anywhere. In a social media post, the agency asked truck drivers and travelers who were in Marion Monday morning to check dash camera footage for anything suspicious.
It also urged residents to watch for unusual activity on property, including empty houses, vacation homes and outbuildings. The warning reflects the uncertainty surrounding where Morley may have traveled after leaving the truck, and whether he remains in southern Illinois or has moved farther away.
Marion, a city of about 17,600 people, has been left unsettled by the search. Local attorney Bridget Lawler said many residents are now locking car doors and checking them before bed. Another resident said the community has mainly relied on social media updates to follow the case.
Victim’s family says the escape has reopened painful memories
Morley was convicted in the killing of Cody Birchfield and was serving a life sentence after convictions for first-degree murder, aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, evading arrest and vandalism. Birchfield’s body was found weeks after he was reported missing in 2022, according to the Carter County Sheriff’s Office and earlier Associated Press reporting.
Family members say the escape has stirred up the grief that followed the conviction. Birchfield’s sister told CNN affiliate WCYB that learning Morley had broken free made her feel physically ill, while cousins said the news stripped away the sense of closure the life sentence had provided.
One relative said the family’s immediate concern is public safety and keeping attention on the manhunt, while also making sure Birchfield is remembered for his kindness and not only for the circumstances of his death. Another family member said they worry about relatives who still live in the area where the killing occurred.
Manhunt grows after Morley lands on most wanted list
Morley is now listed on the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s Most Wanted roster. The governor’s office, the TBI and the US Marshals Service are offering a combined reward of $17,500 for information leading to his arrest.
The search has become part of a broader shake-up inside the Tennessee correctional system. Morley is the second inmate to escape this month, and the state’s corrections commissioner resigned after the botched execution of Christa Pike last month. Gov. Bill Lee named Christopher Hansen as interim commissioner on Friday.
As investigators continue checking tips and surveillance, police in Marion say they will keep searching until they are confident Morley is no longer there or has been captured. For now, authorities in Tennessee and Illinois are still piecing together where he went after the truck was abandoned and before the trail went cold.
