Convicted Tennessee killer had 5-hour head start before police were told he was gone

A convicted murderer serving a life sentence walked out of a Tennessee prison Sunday evening, stole a truck in the middle of the night, and was more than 120 miles away by the time law enforcement mounted a coordinated search — in large part because local police weren't told he was missing for over five hours after prison staff first noticed he was gone.

Morley, 28, broke out of the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee, on Sunday, October 25. At around 11:30 p.m., prison staff found they could not account for him, and security camera footage reviewed afterward showed he had crossed the perimeter fence in his TDOC uniform. According to Tennessee Highway Patrol dispatch audio, Morley had last been seen inside the prison around 4 p.m. — giving him a roughly seven-hour window before anyone raised an alarm.

Police Chief Joe England told Fox News Digital that the Tiptonville Police Department did not receive word of a potentially missing inmate until 4:40 a.m. Monday. Officers responded to the prison, and at 5:14 a.m. confirmed the escape. Lake County Central Dispatch — which handles 911 calls and coordinates local law enforcement — wasn't formally notified until 6:20 a.m., triggering the broader search.

Part of any correctional facility's basic tenets of operations should include emergency plans. And one of those plans that you have for an emergency is an escape. And part of your escape plans entails notifying law enforcement, local law enforcement, state law enforcement, U.S. Marshals Service and everybody in the community. You need to get that word out immediately. So, for them to have that kind of delay raises a huge red flag.— Cameron Lindsay, former federal prison warden

It is 100% unacceptable in the profession of corrections.— Cameron Lindsay, former federal prison warden

By the time any alert went out, Morley was long gone. Surveillance footage showed him stealing a white 2008 Ford F-350 pickup truck — bearing Lindamood Planting Co. markings, Tennessee tag 138BBQV — from the 400 block of Keystone Drive, about two miles south of the prison, at around 1 a.m. Monday. The truck was captured on video passing the Hornbeak Fire Department, roughly 15 miles from the prison, at approximately 1:18 a.m., according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

The truck was found abandoned early Tuesday morning in Marion, Illinois — about 120 miles north of the prison. Morley was not with it. Chief England told Fox News Digital that his department wasn't even made aware of the stolen truck until 2:15 p.m. Monday, with confirmation coming at 2:30 p.m., noting the theft had not occurred within city limits.

The Tennessee Department of Correction did not respond to multiple requests for comment from Fox News Digital. A Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokesperson confirmed the agency was notified of the escape Monday morning but did not provide an exact time.

In February 2025, Morley was found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Cody Wayne Birchfield, a co-worker whose family reported him missing on February 23, 2022; Morley was sentenced to life in prison that June. The Carter County Sheriff's Office said Birchfield had last been seen in Morley's company two days before that report was filed. When investigators searched Birchfield's home, they found what they described as indications that a violent crime had occurred. A search warrant for Morley's home led to the discovery of Birchfield's body buried in a box beneath it.

On March 2, 2022, as deputies tried to take Morley into custody during a traffic stop, he sped off in the direction of North Carolina. Officers deployed spike strips, the vehicle crashed, and Morley fled on foot into the woods until a police dog apprehended him. Beyond the murder conviction, he was also found guilty of aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, vandalism, and evading arrest.

He's a very dangerous man. If he gets ahold of any kind of weapon, he will kill.— Carrie Norman, Birchfield's sister

Norman said she learned of the escape not from law enforcement but from a friend. In a Facebook post, she expressed frustration that neither the victim notification system known as VINE nor the local sheriff had contacted her directly. "Who notified me that a convicted murderer is on the loose, my best friend," she wrote, according to Newsweek.

That community should put out an emergency text to everyone to make sure none of their family members are missing as he could have killed or kidnapped someone after ditching the truck.— Jonathan Gilliam, retired FBI Special Agent

The Northwest Correctional Complex, located about 90 miles north of Memphis in an isolated, rural area near a bend in the Mississippi River, can house up to 1,776 men and also holds minors convicted as adults. The facility has faced significant staffing problems: a 2023 audit of Tennessee prisons found a 61% vacancy rate for correctional officers at the complex in that fiscal year, according to The Guardian. That July, a grand jury returned dozens of indictments tied to five inmate killings, attacks on staff and prisoners, and additional violence at the facility.

The escape also follows by less than a month a separate crisis at the Tennessee Department of Correction: on September 30, death row inmate Christa Pike survived her scheduled execution after the state administered two doses of pentobarbital, and she was subsequently taken to a hospital, according to Fox News Digital.

As of the latest reports, Morley remains at large. The reward for information leading to his arrest has reached $15,000 — $7,500 from Tennessee Governor Bill Lee's office, $5,000 from the U.S. Marshals, and $2,500 from TBI — with Morley's name now appearing on the state's Most Wanted list. Authorities describe him as 5 feet 11 inches tall, 240 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes, and say he should be considered dangerous. Anyone with information is urged to call 911 or 1-800-TBI-FIND. The public is advised not to attempt to apprehend him.

Why it matters — A five-hour gap between a prison noticing a convicted murderer was missing and alerting local police allowed Morley to steal a vehicle and travel over 120 miles — raising urgent questions about whether emergency notification protocols at Tennessee's prisons are adequate to protect surrounding communities.

Sources differ on Total reward amount: $15,000 ($7,500 governor, $5,000 U.S. Marshals, $2,500 TBI) (foxnews.com / newsweek.com) vs $17,500 (tennessean.com)

Reported by wkrn.com, foxnews.com, tennessean.com, theguardian.com, usatoday.com, newsweek.com