The pickup truck abandoned by an escaped Tennessee inmate could reveal what he plans to do next, according to a retired FBI special agent who spoke with Fox News Digital. Jacob Allen Morley, a convicted murderer, broke out of a Tennessee prison and is now the subject of a multi-state search.
Morley escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville on Sunday, though authorities have not said exactly when he got out. Prison staff realized at about 11:30 p.m. that he was unaccounted for. Surveillance footage later showed him crossing the perimeter fence.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said video also captured Morley taking a pickup truck from the 400 block of Keystone Drive, roughly 2 miles south of the prison, at around 1 a.m. Monday. Law enforcement found the truck abandoned early Tuesday morning in Marion, Illinois. Morley was not there.
Several agencies are helping with the search. An Illinois State Police spokeswoman said the agency has "offered its assistance to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation," and the TBI confirmed that the U.S. Marshals Service is also assisting.
Retired FBI Special Agent Jonathan Gilliam said the location of the truck, about 2½ hours north of where it was taken, suggests Morley will either hide or try to find another vehicle. He described the stolen vehicle as a work truck that "just absolutely screamed work truck" and "would have been easy to identify."
Gilliam warned that the search area could grow sharply if Morley gets hold of a less conspicuous vehicle. "If he's in a vehicle that's nondescript and nobody reports it missing, he could go a very long ways without being caught," he said. "He could be halfway across the country." He added that Morley's lack of money could limit his travel unless he commits another crime to get resources.
Authorities have not indicated that Morley is getting outside help. Gilliam noted that Morley's family resources are to the east, yet he headed north. "If I had to just look at the totality of what I know right now at this point, I would think that the guy is probably more just trying to put distance between him and the prison," Gilliam said.
Morley is described as 5 feet, 11 inches tall and 240 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes. The TBI said he should be "considered dangerous" and has placed him on the state's most wanted list.
He 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. Birchfield disappeared in early February 2022 after he was last seen in Elizabethton, Tennessee. According to WJHL, Carter County Sheriff's Office investigators saw signs that a "violent crime" had occurred inside his house.
Morley was arrested on March 2, 2022, after a police chase that reached the North Carolina state line. Birchfield's body was then found beneath Morley's home. At trial, Morley's former girlfriend, Landree Sheperd, testified that he said at one point that "he f, ing killed him." Anyone with information about Morley's whereabouts is asked to call 844-832-3463.
