Staff at the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville realized around 11:30 p.m. Sunday that inmate Jacob Morley, 28, was unaccounted for, according to HuffPost, which reports the Tennessee Department of Correction confirmed the discovery.

A review of security cameras showed Morley breached the perimeter fence and walked out of the facility still wearing his state prison uniform. The escape ended a short stint behind bars: Morley was only sentenced to life in prison in June of this year.

Morley is not an aging lifer decades into his sentence — he is 28, and his conviction is barely months old.

UNILAD reports he was found guilty in February and sentenced in June for first-degree murder, aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, evading arrest and vandalism, in a case in which prosecutors said he killed his longtime friend, 34-year-old Cody Birchfield, and buried the body under his home in Elizabethtown in March 2022.

HuffPost notes Morley was serving a life sentence for killing his co-worker four years ago.

A multi-agency search launched immediately once Morley was confirmed missing, and it remains ongoing.

UNILAD reports the Tennessee Department of Correction has added Morley to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's Most Wanted list, with a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to his arrest.

The department is asking residents to check home security and doorbell cameras, trail and hunting cameras, and other surveillance systems for possible sightings. Officials describe Morley as 5'11" and approximately 240 pounds.

Both the department and the outlets covering the escape emphasize one point above all: do not approach him.

UNILAD quotes the Tennessee Department of Correction telling anyone who sees Morley or has information about his whereabouts to call 911 immediately or contact the TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND, and stating that the agency is committed to protecting public safety in coordination with local, state and federal law enforcement.

The urgent, late-night nature of the alert — Morley was discovered missing close to midnight — shows how quickly the response mobilized once the emergency count confirmed he was gone.

Morley's case is grim on its own terms. Per UNILAD, citing WHJL reporting, Morley was convicted of murdering Cody Birchfield, whose body he buried under his Elizabethtown home in March 2022; the two were described as longtime friends.

Carter County Criminal Court also indicated Morley would be parole eligible, which makes his flight all the more consequential — a man with a future parole hearing has now demonstrated he can reach the outside on his own.

The immediate question is whether the coordinated search — involving the Tennessee Department of Correction, the TBI and local, state and federal partners — closes the perimeter gap before Morley can travel far from the rural northwest Tennessee facility.

For now, officials' message to the public is simple: report sightings, don't engage, and let the manhunt do its work.