Escaped murderer Danelo Cavalcante spotted in homes, roadsides and hiking trail | US News
The search for convicted murderer Danelo Cavalcante has entered its sixth day after he escaped from prison last week.
Cavalcante, 34, escaped from Chester County Prison in the Philadelphia suburbs on Thursday morning. He has managed to elude police, state, and federal investigators ever since.
Cavalcante was convicted on charges of first-degree murder after repeatedly stabbing his girlfriend, Debora Brandao, in front of her two young children.
According to prosecutors, Cavalcante was upset after Brandao threatened to notify the police that he was wanted for murder in Brazil.
‘I don’t know what he is capable of doing,’ Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan said. ‘If he’s already engaged in murder in broad daylight in front of her two children there is no stopping him from doing something more egregious.’
On Monday, police began using helicopters and patrol cars to blast a message in Portuguese from his mother, asking him to turn himself in.
‘As desperate as he is, maybe he has a change of thought and hears his mother telling him to surrender, and his family cares about him,’ said Robert Clark, a deputy US Marshal for the eastern district of Pennsylvania.
Meanwhile, police in the area have received over 100 potential sightings of Cavalcante by concerned citizens. They have been able to confirm four of those sightings.
On Monday night, police released photos of Cavalcante taken by a trail camera in Longwood Gardens, a park about four miles south of the prison.
Cavalcante has also been spotted walking along roadways within a 2-mile radius of the prison.
One local Pocopson Township resident told ABC6 Philadelphia that he believes Cavalcante was responsible for breaking into his home on Friday night.
‘I saw him walk out of the kitchen through our living room, open up that door, walked out,’ the homeowner told the local station. ‘He was wearing a white shirt, had a bag.’
The witness said the burglar mostly took food, including peaches, apples, and green snap peas, but also noted he may have taken a small steak knife from the kitchen.
Investigators are asking local residents to secure their homes, vehicles, and other properties.
‘You’re dealing with someone who is desperate and doesn’t want to be caught,’ Pennsylvania State Police Lieutenant Colonel George Bivens said. ‘If he can find some shelter, if he can find some food, he’s going to take advantage of whatever he finds.’
Local school districts in the area cancelled classes on Tuesday as the manhunt drags on through day six.
Kennett Consolidated School District and Unionville-Chadds Ford School District, which are responsible for over 5,200 public school students in the area, both cancelled school out of an abundance of caution.
West Chester University, a nearby state college enrolling 17,000 students, has locked down campus buildings and implemented heightened security measures.
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The search for convicted murderer Danelo Cavalcante has entered its sixth day after he escaped from prison last week.
Cavalcante, 34, escaped from Chester County Prison in the Philadelphia suburbs on Thursday morning. He has managed to elude police, state, and federal investigators ever since.
Cavalcante was convicted on charges of first-degree murder after repeatedly stabbing his girlfriend, Debora Brandao, in front of her two young children.
According to prosecutors, Cavalcante was upset after Brandao threatened to notify the police that he was wanted for murder in Brazil.
‘I don’t know what he is capable of doing,’ Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan said. ‘If he’s already engaged in murder in broad daylight in front of her two children there is no stopping him from doing something more egregious.’
On Monday, police began using helicopters and patrol cars to blast a message in Portuguese from his mother, asking him to turn himself in.
‘As desperate as he is, maybe he has a change of thought and hears his mother telling him to surrender, and his family cares about him,’ said Robert Clark, a deputy US Marshal for the eastern district of Pennsylvania.
Meanwhile, police in the area have received over 100 potential sightings of Cavalcante by concerned citizens. They have been able to confirm four of those sightings.
On Monday night, police released photos of Cavalcante taken by a trail camera in Longwood Gardens, a park about four miles south of the prison.
Cavalcante has also been spotted walking along roadways within a 2-mile radius of the prison.
One local Pocopson Township resident told ABC6 Philadelphia that he believes Cavalcante was responsible for breaking into his home on Friday night.
‘I saw him walk out of the kitchen through our living room, open up that door, walked out,’ the homeowner told the local station. ‘He was wearing a white shirt, had a bag.’
The witness said the burglar mostly took food, including peaches, apples, and green snap peas, but also noted he may have taken a small steak knife from the kitchen.
Investigators are asking local residents to secure their homes, vehicles, and other properties.
‘You’re dealing with someone who is desperate and doesn’t want to be caught,’ Pennsylvania State Police Lieutenant Colonel George Bivens said. ‘If he can find some shelter, if he can find some food, he’s going to take advantage of whatever he finds.’
Local school districts in the area cancelled classes on Tuesday as the manhunt drags on through day six.
Kennett Consolidated School District and Unionville-Chadds Ford School District, which are responsible for over 5,200 public school students in the area, both cancelled school out of an abundance of caution.
West Chester University, a nearby state college enrolling 17,000 students, has locked down campus buildings and implemented heightened security measures.
Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected]. Or you can submit your videos and pictures here.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Follow Metro.co.uk on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.
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