Manhunt Launched for Jacob Morley

What happened

Updated Oct 27, 11:43am ET

Authorities have launched a manhunt for Jacob Morley after his escape from a Tennessee prison. Surveillance footage showed Morley driving away in an allegedly stolen white Ford F-350 work truck after it passed a fire station in the area. Morley, 28, was serving a life sentence at the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville for the 2022 murder of co-worker Cody Birchfield. Birchfield’s body was found in a box beneath Morley’s home after he had been missing for several weeks. Officials offered up to $2,500 for information leading to Morley’s capture and urged residents to check security-camera footage. Morley remains at large, and officials have not explained how he got through the perimeter fence.

How the left told it

Left-leaning outlets emphasized an unresolved prison-security failure, focusing on how officials still could not explain the breach. CNN lingered on the unanswered question of how Morley got through the fence and tied the case to another recent Tennessee custody escape. The Guardian centered the search effort, citing prison officials’ reward offer for information leading to an arrest.

How the right told it

Right-leaning outlets framed the escape chiefly as a public-safety threat, stressing the danger of a convicted killer on the run. Fox News led with fear that Morley could strike again while a multi-state manhunt unfolded. Daily Mail focused on the prison breach, describing officers’ discovery that a life-sentence inmate was missing.