It’s been nearly a week since convicted murderer Danelo Cavalcante, 34, escaped from a prison 40 miles west of Philadelphia where he was serving a life sentence for killing his ex-girlfriend in front of her children in 2021. He is also wanted in his native Brazil for a 2017 murder.
The search for Cavalcante expanded after authorities realized he had managed to slip past the original perimeter. He was caught on surveillance video walking through Longwood Gardens twice on Monday (September 4). The botanical garden is approximately five miles south of the Chester County Prison where he escaped.
According to the Associated Press, Cavalcante had a duffel bag and backpack in his possession and was wearing a hooded sweatshirt. Area resident Ryan Drummond believes Cavalcante broke inside his home on Friday night when everyone inside the house was sleeping.
“I saw him walk out of the kitchen through our living room, open up that door, [and] walked out,” Drummond said. “He was wearing a white shirt, had a bag. Peaches, apples, green snap peas were missing. We have a bunch of little steak knives, and he could have taken one of those.
School was canceled at two area school districts on Tuesday (September 5) and authorities warned residents that Cavalcante is extremely dangerous. “You’re dealing with someone who is desperate and doesn’t want to be caught,” said George Bivens, deputy commissioner of operations for the Pennsylvania State Police. “If he can find some shelter, if he can find some food, he’s going to take advantage of whatever he finds.”
Authorities have yet to disclose how Danelo Cavalcante escaped, but said he did it while waiting for a transfer to state prison. “He’s a bad guy,” Bivens said. “He needs to be in custody, and we are determined to capture him.”