The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) has increased the reward for information leading to the arrest of escaped convicted murderer Jacob Allen Morley to $15,000.
In an update Wednesday, the TBI announced that the reward now includes $7,500 from Tennessee Governor Bill Lee’s office, $2,500 from the agency, and $5,000 from the U.S. Marshals Service.
Morley, who is listed on the TBI’s Most Wanted list, is considered dangerous.
UPDATE – 10/28 – 3:45 p.m.
Reward in the search for #TNMostWanted Jacob Allen Morley is now $15,000.
• $7,500 Governor’s Office
• $2,500 TBI
• $5,000 U.S. MarshalsHave info? Call 1-800-TBI-FIND. Stay vigilant—Morley is considered dangerous. pic.twitter.com/DIqTh9NKzZ
— Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (@TBInvestigation) October 28, 2026
The reward increase comes as authorities continue searching for Morley, who escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville late Sunday night.
According to WCYB, the TBI confirmed Thursday that agents are investigating leads suggesting a suspect matching Morley’s description was involved in an armed bank robbery in Madison, Wisconsin, on Wednesday.
The Dane County Sheriff’s Office said the suspect, described as a white man with a red beard, entered a bank shortly before closing, brandished a firearm, restrained two employees, and forced them to hand over cash.
The suspect then stole a Lincoln MKZ from the bank’s parking lot, which was later recovered a short distance away. As of Thursday, it has not yet been confirmed that Morley was involved in that robbery.
The pickup truck Morley allegedly stole after escaping from prison in Tennessee was found in Marion, Illinois, on Tuesday morning, approximately six hours by car from Dane County, Wisconsin.
UPDATE: New video shows escaped inmate Jacob Allen Morley stealing a white 2008 Ford F-350 (TN tag 138BBQV) around 1 a.m. today from the 400 block of Keystone Dr. in Lake County.
If you spot Morley or the vehicle, do not approach. Call 911 or 1-800-TBI-FIND immediately. pic.twitter.com/C8M3VB2jwa
— Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (@TBInvestigation) October 26, 2026
The TBI previously released video allegedly showing Morley stealing a white 2008 Ford F-350 marked with Lindamood Planting Company on the side around 1 a.m. Tuesday from the 400 block of Keystone Drive in Lake County, Tennessee.
Morley, who is described as 6 feet tall and approximately 270 pounds, with green eyes and brown hair, was convicted in 2025 of murdering Cody Birchfield in 2022. He was sentenced to life in prison.
Upon Morely’s escape, his sister, Carrie Norman, told NBC News that he is a “very dangerous man,” who, she added, “will kill somebody.”
Anyone with information about Morley’s whereabouts is urged to contact the TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND. Anyone who sees Morley or believes they have located him should call 911 and avoid approaching him.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Image “Security Camera Footage” by TBI.
