Danelo Cavalcante: Schools closed as murderer eludes police days after escaping Pennsylvania prison
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA: The search for Danelo Cavalcante, 34, a convicted murderer who escaped from Chester County Prison in Pennsylvania on August 31, has intensified as police reported six confirmed sightings since his escape.
Cavalcante’s mother has also joined the search, recording a message in Spanish or Portuguese asking him to give himself up peacefully.
The searches have forced the closure of schools and colleges after the convicted murderer slipped through the original search parameters on Tuesday, September 5.
A witness has meanwhile claimed the murderer was at his home as his children slept on Friday night.
Who has Danelo Cavalcante killed?
Cavalcante, 34, was sentenced to life in prison without parole on August 16, 2023, for stabbing his ex-girlfriend Deborah Brandao, 33, 38 times in front of her 7-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son, as per US Today.
He was awaiting transfer to a state facility when he escaped from Chester County Prison in Pocopson Township, Pennsylvania, on Thursday, last week at 8:50 am.
He is also wanted for another murder in his native Brazil.
"We were informed early this morning by law enforcement that the search situation has evolved and out of an abundance of caution, schools and offices will be closed today," Kennett Consolidated School District officials said in a statement.
How did Danelo Cavalcante escape and where is he now?
Officials have not revealed how Cavalcante managed to break out of the prison, which saw another escape earlier this year, raising concerns about its security.
6ABC reported that the acting warden of the prison, Howard Holland, said Cavalcante “physically escaped,” but did not cut any fences to do so.
Police initially narrowed down the search area to a 2-mile radius near the prison, where they believed Cavalcante may be hiding in a wooded area.
However, they later shifted the perimeter south after officials said Cavalcante likely slipped through the original perimeter, News Nation reported.
Where has Danelo Cavalcante been spotted?
The reports added that Cavalcante was captured on a privately owned motion-activated wildlife trail camera on a property of Longwood Gardens, near the prison, on Monday night.
One image shows him walking north at 8.21 pm and another photo shows him walking south through the same area at 9.33 pm.
On 09/04/2023 at 8:21PM and 9:33PM, Escaped murderer Danelo Cavalcante was seen on a trail camera at Longwood Gardens in East Marlborough Township, Chester County. Anyone with information is asked to contact the tip line at 717-562-2987. pic.twitter.com/bSPWBxuTRB
— Trooper Grothey (@PSPTroopJPIO) September 5, 2023
He was also spotted near intersections Rt 926 and Rt 52, north on Rt 52 to Parkersville Road, southeast to Rt 926 and west to the intersection of Rt 926 and Rt 52 in Pocopson Township.
Cavalcante was spotted Sunday afternoon from a distance by a state trooper who gave chase but lost him, Lt Col George Bevins, deputy commissioner of operations for the Pennsylvania State Police, said.
He has since acquired some clothes and a backpack as seen in the pictures as police urged residents to check for any missing items from their houses.
How are police trying to catch Danelo Cavalcante?
Police are using a loudspeaker to broadcast a recording of his mother, who speaks Spanish or Portuguese, asking him to surrender peacefully.
Bivens said he hoped the mother’s voice would appeal to Cavalcante’s emotions and convince him to end the standoff.
“We’ve had the individual’s mother make a recording asking him to surrender peacefully,” Bivens said. “It’s done in Spanish or Portuguese.”
Escape from Warren County Prison
In July, Bivens led the search for accused kidnapper and murder suspect Michael Burnham, who had escaped from Warren County Prison in northwestern Pennsylvania using bedsheets. Burham was apprehended nine days after his escape.
Even though schools were closed on Monday, West Chester University said it was open but "out of an abundance of caution, all buildings will continue to require a WCU ID for access or a physical key."
Man has scary encounter with Danelo Cavalcante at his home
Ryan Drummond claimed Cavalcante was inside his home on Friday night. He heard rustling downstairs and woke his wife up.
"What I decided to do was flip the switch three or four or five times, paused, and then he flipped a light switch from downstairs. This was the moment of, 'Oh my God this guy is down there,'" said Drummond.
Drummond then checked on his children and after finding them asleep, he watched Cavalcante walk out of his home.
"Peaches, apples, green snap peas were missing. We have a bunch of little steak knives and he could have taken one of those," said Drummond.