More than 20 miles away from where authorities had focused their search efforts, the convicted killer who escaped from a Pennsylvania prison 11 days ago was spotted overnight, officials said on Sunday. The man had broken through the police cordon, stolen a van, and fled north.
Lt. Col. George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police said at a news conference on Sunday that Danelo Cavalcante, 34, had abandoned the vehicle and changed his appearance, and he urged locals to lock their doors and garages so he wouldn’t be able to leave the area. Photos from before his shaven head became public showed him with a green hooded jumper.
Recent Events The days-long quest for Cavalcante, which began after he escaped from the Chester County Prison on August 31, took a dramatic turn on Sunday. His first-degree murder conviction came down last month.
After multiple sightings were reported in the area near Longwood Gardens, which is about three miles from the prison, the search for Cavalcante shifted its emphasis there. According to state police, there have been at least two sightings in the search area since last Friday.
But on Saturday night, about a third of a mile from the police perimeter, Cavalcante stole a 2020 Ford Transit van, according to Bivens, who is leading the hunt. After then, at around 9:52 p.m., he is believed to have gone to the East Pikeland residence of a person he knew from a long time ago.
In Cavalcante’s words, “Cavalcante spoke with the individual via video doorbell at that residence and inquired about meeting with that individual,” as Bivens put it. The person was out to supper with his family at the time and did not react to Cavalcante’s invitation to meet. After that, Cavalcante departed the house.
Around 10:07 p.m., Cavalcante made an effort to get in touch with a mutual friend who lives in the Phoenixville area. Also absent, this person nevertheless alerted authorities after a female neighbour spotted the fugitive.
The reports reached state police about 12:30 on Sunday morning. Until then, Bivens said, officials had no idea he had left the Longwood Gardens area.
To which I replied, “I wish it had not happened,” he remarked, “because no perimeter is ever 100% secure.”
Bivens added that Cavalcante may be driving a white vehicle based on the details of the second contact attempt. One such vehicle was located by the police not far from Longwood Gardens; its owners had no idea it had been stolen. The keys were inside the door.
The van was found by authorities at 10:40 a.m., Bivens said, parked in a field behind a farm in East Nantmeal. Its fuel tank was empty.
Bivens claimed that investigators are now examining the area and that he still thinks Cavalcante is in Pennsylvania. He told the press, “There are a number of other things in play that don’t require that physical presence up there,” explaining why he has not established a perimeter. And at this point, all of things are just as vital, if not more so.
The family of the victim is reportedly ‘terrified’
Following his first-degree murder conviction in the slaying of his ex-girlfriend Deborah Brando, 33, in Chester County in 2021, Cavalcante disappeared roughly two weeks later. According to the investigation, Cavalcante stabbed Brando 38 times while her two children watched.
According to a US Marshals Service officer, Cavalcante is also wanted for murder in his home nation of Brazil dating back to 2017.
Surveillance footage revealed that Cavalcante escaped by ‘crab walking’ between two walls in an exercise yard, using his hands and feet to shimmied out of sight. The acting warden earlier stated that Cavalcante went across a roof, climbed another fence, and made his way through razor wire to escape from the prison.
The guard on duty in the tower did not witness the escape and did not report it. A person familiar with the decision told AWN that he was sacked on Thursday by officials.
While the search leaders are being questioned, the local community may breathe a sigh of relief if the fugitive is able to get out of the prison’s perimeter. Residents were on edge because of the huge police presence, but that subsided Sunday morning when authorities focused their efforts further north.
On the evening of September 1, Ryan Drummond told AWN that he had seen Cavalcante in his Pocopson Township house.
After experiencing what he called a “acute moment of terror,” Drummond investigated the source of the noise and found an ancient French door off the side of their deck to be slightly ajar.
Telling AWN’s Michael Smerconish, “That’s when my stomach dropped,” he described his initial reaction.
When Drummond spotted Cavalcante “walking methodically” out of the kitchen into the living area, he reportedly instructed his wife to phone 911. Cavalcante then reportedly exited the house by the French door.
Chester County District Attorney Deborah Ryan stated last week that the victims’ family members are likely taking refuge in the residence despite Cavalcante’s continuous absence. She also noted that despite the family’s 24-hour police protection detail, “they are terrified.”
Bivens stated on Sunday that they are still under police protection.