A manhunt is underway in the United States after a convicted murderer escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee.

Jacob Allen Morley, 28, escaped on Sunday after breaching the prison’s perimeter fence, according to the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC).

The facility is located about 90 miles (145km) north of Memphis.

The department said security camera footage confirmed that Morley had escaped while wearing his prison uniform. Investigators also released video they said showed him stealing a work vehicle from a nearby farm.

Morley has been added to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s most-wanted list as authorities intensify efforts to locate him.

The TDOC announced a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to his arrest.

Prison staff discovered that Morley was unaccounted for on Sunday night, prompting an emergency headcount and a search of the facility, officials said.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol deployed state troopers and aviation resources to assist with the search.

On Tuesday afternoon, investigators reported that the stolen vehicle had been found in Illinois, approximately 120 miles north of Tiptonville. Morley was not found with the vehicle, and authorities continued searching for him.

Prison records listed his supervision level as low, but he was not eligible for release until December 2083.

Morley was convicted of first-degree murder over the 2022 killing of his co-worker, Cody Birchfield, and sentenced in June 2025.

According to Carter County court records reviewed by the BBC, Birchfield’s body was discovered inside a metal box beneath Morley’s home.

A pathology report cited in court said Birchfield died from a gunshot wound to the back of the head. Investigators also matched bullet casings to a firearm recovered from Morley’s house.

Birchfield’s sister told the court that the two men had developed a friendship while Birchfield was training Morley at the pallet manufacturing company where they worked.

In addition to murder, Morley was convicted of vandalism, tampering with evidence, aggravated burglary and evading arrest. His request for a new trial was denied in May.

Morley’s escape is not the first time he has triggered a major search by law enforcement.

His 2022 arrest followed a police chase that crossed state lines into North Carolina.

Earlier in October, another Tennessee prisoner, Gregory Redden, 69, who was serving a 15-year sentence for aggravated robbery, escaped from custody but was recaptured shortly afterwards.

The TDOC and other law enforcement agencies are continuing efforts to locate Morley.

Authorities are asking anyone with information that could help investigators find him to contact law enforcement. The reward remains available for information leading to his arrest.