Missouri state troopers have recaptured Jacob Allen Morley, who escaped from a Tennessee prison last week, a Missouri Highway Patrol spokesperson said Tuesday.
Morley broke out of the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville on Oct. 25. Authorities say he later stole a pickup truck, which they tracked using FLOCK cameras.
On Nov. 3, the Missouri State Highway Patrol received information from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation that Morley might be heading west on Interstate 70 near Independence. Officers located the truck on Missouri 291 in Liberty. When troopers moved in, Morley allegedly tried to leave the road but became stuck.
He was taken into custody without further incident about two hours after authorities received information about his possible location, the patrol said. Several local and federal agencies helped surround and arrest him, including police departments in Kansas City and Independence, Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Prison staff discovered Morley was missing at about 11:30 p.m. Surveillance footage later showed him crossing the facility’s perimeter fence. He had last been seen at the prison around 4 p.m. Sunday, according to Tennessee Highway Patrol dispatch audio.
Morley was arrested in 2022 in connection with the killing of Cody Birchfield. Police first detained him near the North Carolina border and later found Birchfield’s body beneath Morley’s home. Morley was convicted in 2025 after a trial that included testimony from his former girlfriend.
Tennessee authorities thanked the public and the Missouri Highway Patrol for helping bring Morley back into custody. He had previously been convicted of first-degree murder, burglary, evidence tampering, evading arrest and vandalism.
