A convicted murderer who escaped from a Tennessee prison had at least a five-hour head start before local police were notified, according to the local police chief. Jacob Allen Morley escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville on Sunday.
Prison staff noticed Morley was unaccounted for around 11:30 p.m. Sunday. A review of surveillance footage showed him crossing the prison's perimeter fence. The Tennessee Highway Patrol reported Morley's last known sighting at the prison was around 4 p.m. Sunday.
Surveillance footage captured Morley stealing a pickup truck from a location approximately two miles south of the prison around 1 a.m. Monday. The stolen truck was found abandoned by law enforcement early Tuesday morning in Marion, Illinois, but Morley was not located.
Tiptonville Police Department Chief Joe England told Fox News Digital that his department was not notified of a potentially missing inmate until 4:40 a.m. Monday, more than five hours after prison staff realized Morley was absent. Officers responded to the prison and began assessing the situation, confirming the escape at 5:14 a.m. Prison officials formally notified Lake County Central Dispatch, which handles 911 calls, of the confirmed escape at 6:20 a.m. This notification initiated a broader search of the area surrounding the prison.
England also stated that his department was not aware of the stolen truck until 2:15 p.m. Monday, with the theft confirmed at 2:30 p.m. The truck was stolen outside of Tiptonville city limits.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation reported that their agency was notified of the escape Monday morning, but did not provide a specific time. The Lake County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to inquiries about when they were alerted.
Former federal prison warden Cameron Lindsay described the delay in notifying local law enforcement as "100% unacceptable," stating that escape plans must include immediate notification of all relevant law enforcement agencies and the community.
Morley, 28, is serving a life sentence for the 2022 murder of Cody Birchfield. He was also convicted of burglary, vandalism, tampering with evidence, and evading arrest. The TBI has described Morley as "dangerous" and added him to the state's most wanted list. The reward for information leading to his capture has been increased to $15,000.
The escape occurred less than a month after the state's botched execution of death row inmate Christa Pike, which led Governor Bill Lee to suspend further executions and order a review of the procedures.