Escaped Tennessee inmate Jacob Allen Morley, who was serving a life sentence for murder, has been captured near Kansas City, Missouri, following a multi-state manhunt, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) announced Tuesday.
“Fugitive Jacob Allen Morley is in custody near Kansas City, Missouri,” the TBI said in a social media post. “Thank you to the public for your assistance, vigilance, and the tips provided during this investigation.”
The Tennessee Department of Correction also confirmed Morley’s apprehension, thanking law enforcement partners and members of the public for their assistance.
Escaped inmate Jacob Allen Morley has been apprehended in Missouri by law enforcement.
Thank you to our law enforcement partners and the public for their assistance in his capture. pic.twitter.com/Ulo2jqfOec
— Dept of Correction (@TNTDOC1) November 3, 2026
TDOC shared a photo of Morley in custody, wearing a camouflage hooded sweatshirt, flat-bill hat, and black eyeglasses. Additional details about his capture were not immediately released.
Morley escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville on the night of October 25. He was convicted in 2025 of murdering Cody Birchfield in 2022 and sentenced to life in prison.
Authorities previously released surveillance footage allegedly showing Morley stealing a white 2008 Ford F-350 marked with Lindamood Planting Company from the 400 block of Keystone Drive in Lake County. Authorities later recovered the vehicle in Marion, Illinois.
The search also extended into Indiana after TBI received a tip that Morley had been spotted playing slot machines at Ameristar Casino in East Chicago.
According to public dispatch audio from East Chicago police, the TBI requested assistance from local officers on October 28 to review casino surveillance footage and determine whether Morley was still at the property.
The TBI also investigated leads suggesting a suspect matching Morley’s description was involved in an armed bank robbery in Madison, Wisconsin, on October 27.
As the search continued, the reward for information leading to Morley’s arrest grew to $17,500.
In the days following his escape, Morley’s sister, Carrie Norman, warned NBC News that her brother was a “very dangerous man,” adding that he “will kill somebody.”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
