Multistate Manhunt Widens for Escaped Tennessee Convict

A booking photo with a Tennessee Department of Correction placard fills the screen under the words "Multi-state manhunt." The search is for Jacob Allen Morley, a 28-year-old serving a life sentence for first-degree murder who escaped a Tennessee prison on Sunday, Oct. 25.

According to the Tennessee Department of Correction, staff at the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville realized Morley was missing around 11:30 p.m. Security cameras showed he breached the perimeter fence in his prison uniform. Early Monday he stole a white 2008 Ford F-350 in Lake County, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said. A fire department in Hornbeak captured video of the truck passing at about 1:18 a.m., and it was possibly seen in nearby Troy.

The search crossed state lines when the truck was found abandoned early Tuesday in Marion, Illinois. Police there said it appears to have sat for more than a day before it was found, and they have no confirmed sightings or other vehicle thefts. The TBI said Morley's whereabouts remain unknown and that law enforcement partners in surrounding states have been notified. Illinois State Police are assisting but aren't leading the investigation.

A new lead emerged in Wisconsin. On Tuesday evening, a man armed with a handgun robbed the Bank of Deerfield, near Madison, restrained two employees and fled in a Lincoln MKZ stolen from the parking lot. The car was later found abandoned. The Dane County Sheriff's Office, which is leading that investigation with FBI help, said Morley has not been eliminated as a suspect, but the TBI said it has no confirmation that he is the robber. Photos from bank cameras show a man in camouflage covering his head and part of his face.

Officials have offered conflicting descriptions. The Department of Correction lists Morley as 5-foot-11 and 240 pounds with brown hair and green eyes, while the TBI reports 6 feet and 270 pounds. He is on the TBI's Most Wanted list, and the U.S. Marshals are offering a reward of up to $15,000. Authorities say he should be considered dangerous and urge the public not to approach him. Tips can go to the Tennessee Department of Correction at 1-844-832-3463 or to 911.

Morley is the second inmate to escape from the department's custody this month.