The shut good friend of a Tennessee homicide sufferer fears his convicted killer could strike again after escaping jail and triggering a multi-state manhunt.

Jacob Allen Morley escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee, on Sunday, though officers have not said precisely when he got out.

Prison employees found Morley was lacking around 11:30 p.m., and a subsequent evaluation of surveillance video confirmed him breaching the facility’s perimeter fence.

Around 1 a.m. Monday, surveillance video captured Morley stealing a pickup truck from the 400 block of Keystone Drive, roughly two miles south of the jail, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

The white 2008 Ford F-350, bearing Tennessee license plate 138BBQV, has “Lindamood Planting Company” marked on its aspect.

Morley was sentenced to life in jail after being convicted in 2025 of murdering Cody Birchfield three years earlier.

Jacob Morley broke out of Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee, officers said. Tennessee Department of Correction

On Tuesday afternoon, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said that the truck Morley stole was discovered deserted in Marion, Illinois, but his location stays unknown.

Diana Reid, one of Birchfield’s shut childhood associates, advised Fox News Digital that she’s involved Morley may harm more individuals now that he’s on the run.

“He’s already been convicted of taking an innocent life. I believe he’s extremely dangerous and I’m genuinely concerned that someone else could end up hurt if he’s not caught soon,” Reid said.

Cody Birchfield was murdered by Jacob Morley in 2022. Carter County Sheriff’s Office

“I’m genuinely scared knowing that someone convicted of such a violent crime is out there, not knowing where he’s headed. What he’s capable of doing next is just frightening.”

“He’s got absolutely nothing to lose at this point and someone could become a victim just so he can continue his path to wherever he’s headed,” she said.

Reid said Birchfield was “such a kind soul” and “had the biggest heart.”

“He was more than just a murder victim, that he was someone who was deeply loved. He had a whole life ahead of him and he was completely robbed of that when he was murdered,” Reid said.

Officials are wanting for the killer after he escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Lake County, Tenn. tn.gov

As the manhunt for Morley expanded beyond Tennessee, the Missouri State Highway Patrol urged residents to stay alert and examine their surveillance cameras for any signal of the escaped inmate.

Morley is described as 5 toes, 11 inches tall and weighing 240 kilos, with brown hair and inexperienced eyes. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said he should be “considered dangerous,” including Morley is now on the state’s most needed record.

In addition to the first-degree homicide conviction, he was also discovered responsible of housebreaking, vandalism, tampering with proof and evading arrest.

Federal and state regulation enforcement is helping to assist discover Morley, according to officers.

Birchfield disappeared in early February 2022 after he was last seen in Elizabethton, Tennessee. According to WJHL, investigators from the Carter County Sheriff’s Office saw indications that a “violent crime” had occurred inside his home.

On March 2, 2022, Morley was arrested after a police chase that went to the North Carolina state line. After the arrest, Birchfield’s physique was discovered beneath Morley’s dwelling.

Morley’s former girlfriend, Landree Sheperd, testified at Morley’s trial and claimed that the defendant said at one level that “he f—ing killed him.”

People with info about Morley’s whereabouts are inspired to contact 844-832-3463.