Killer who escaped Tennessee prison captured after week-long manhunt

US authorities have recaptured a convicted murderer who escaped a Tennessee prison more than a week ago.

Jacob Allen Morley, 28, was serving a life sentence over the killing of his colleague in 2022, when he escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, about 90 miles (145 km) north of Memphis.

The Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) said security footage showed Morley, wearing his prison uniform, breaching the prison fence around 11:30pm on 25 October, and later stealing a vehicle from a nearby farm.

On Wednesday the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) announced Morley was in custody after an operation that involved local, state and federal agencies.

In a statement, the TBI said authorities had received a tip that Morley was hiding on an Illinois property, from which a truck had also been stolen.

The truck's licence plate was then tracked through automatic plate-reader technology, travelling through Missouri, where local authorities were dispatched to follow.

Morley was apprehended by Missouri State Highway Patrol "without incident" in Carroll County at 11:34am local time on Tuesday. Three firearms that had previously been reported stolen were also recovered from the vehicle, the TBI said.

Photos published by authorities showed Morley handcuffed and being led out of a field by officers.

Following his escape, Morley had been added to the TBI's most wanted list, with the TDOC offering a reward of up to $2,500 (£1,900) for information leading to his arrest. The reward was increased by $15,000 on Wednesday.

The TBI's statement said members of the public had provided information during the investigation, but did not say if the reward had been paid.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol said the manhunt had involved officers from the Kansas City Police Department, Independence Police Department, the FBI, US Marshals Service and Homeland Security Investigations.

Morley was convicted of first-degree murder over the death of his colleague Cody Birchfield in 2022. He was sentenced in June 2025. His request for a new trial was denied in May.

Birchfield's body was found in a metal box under Morley's home, according to Carter County court records reviewed by the BBC.

Birchfield died "as a result of a gunshot wound to the back of the head", a pathology report cited in court said. Bullet casings matched a gun found in Morley's house.

Birchfield's sister said in her victim impact statement to the court that the pair had developed a friendship while Birchfield was training Morley at the pallet manufacturing company where they were both employed.

Besides murder, Morley was also convicted of vandalism, tampering with evidence, aggravated burglary, and evading arrest.

This is not the first time Morley has led law enforcement officials on a manhunt. His 2022 arrest came after a police chase that crossed state lines into North Carolina.

The Northwest Correctional Complex is a men's prison with the capacity to hold up to 1,776 inmates, from low security to maximum, the BBC's partner CBS reported.

CBS said the prison has seen numerous acts of violence in recent years, and in July a grand jury returned dozens of indictments over assaults on staff and the murders of five inmates.