JACOB MORLEY ESCAPES TENNESSEE PRISON

Jacob Morley escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee, after passing through a fence, the Tennessee Department of Corrections said. Prison staff discovered he was missing at about 11.30pm on Sunday, 25 October. Morley was serving a life sentence for killing his colleague Cody Birchfield in 2022. Investigators reviewed security footage that showed Morley leaving in his prison uniform, officials said. They have not explained how he got through the fence.

Birchfield’s body was found in a box beneath Morley’s home in Carter County. He had been missing for several weeks. The prison lies about 90 miles (145 kilometres) north of Memphis, in a rural area near the Mississippi River and Missouri. Officials described Morley as 1.8 metres tall and weighing 109 kilograms, with brown hair and green eyes.

Prison officials said law enforcement officers searched buildings and other structures near the prison, with aircraft deployed to help. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation added Morley to its Most Wanted list, and officials offered a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to his arrest. The Department of Corrections urged residents to check security, doorbell, trail and hunting cameras for possible sightings. “Anyone who sees Morley or has information about his whereabouts should not approach him,” the department said. It told people to call 911 or contact the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation on 1-800-TBI-FIND.