Authorities locate stolen truck in Illinois as reward for escaped inmate hits $15,000

Jacob Morley escaped from a Tennessee prison on Monday, and authorities are now searching for him after finding the truck he stole. The manhunt for the 28-year-old fugitive has intensified as the reward for information leading to his arrest reached $15,000.

The Tennessee Department of Correction announced on Monday that Morley was unaccounted for at the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville. Staff confirmed the missing inmate at 11:30 p.m. on October 25, 2026, and immediately conducted an emergency search. Security cameras showed Morley breaching the perimeter fence and exiting the facility while wearing his department uniform.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation identified a white 2008 Ford F-350 as the vehicle Morley stole. Footage obtained by the agency showed him taking the truck at approximately 1 a.m. Monday from the 400 block of Keystone Drive. The truck had the Tennessee tag 138BBQV. Officials located the vehicle in Marion, Illinois, on Tuesday, though Morley's current location remains unknown.

The reward for his arrest now stands at $15,000 combined. Authorities announced this increase on Wednesday. Morley was found guilty of murder in 2022 and sentenced to life in prison. He killed Cody Birchfield, whose body was buried beneath Morley's home.

Carrie Norman, Birchfield's sister, said she is reliving the tragedy. "I find myself asking the public for help to find my brother's murderer when he should be in prison locked away," Norman said in a statement on Tuesday. She described her brother as a kind man who would give anyone the shirt off his back.

Diana Reid, a friend of Birchfield, expressed fear for public safety. She noted that the killer is on the run and that the situation makes it difficult to sleep. "We don't know what he may be willing to do to avoid being captured, and that's what scares me most," Reid said.

Daniel Russell, another friend, said the escape brought back the pain of losing Birchfield. He saw Morley's face on social media after the escape. "It brought everything back up," Russell said on Wednesday.