Pocoson, PA TWP. — The hunt continues for a convicted murderer who escaped from the Chester County Jail in Pokopson, Pennsylvania.
Federal and local law enforcement have been searching for Danelo Cavalcante, 34, since he escaped from prison at 8:50 a.m. Thursday.
He was spotted on surveillance video in the 1800 block of Lenape Road in Pokopson Township on a recent Saturday around 1:43 a.m. About 1.5 miles from the jail.
He was observed wearing pants, a white T-shirt and white sneakers, and carrying a backpack.
Authorities believe he was wearing prison-issued pants and prison-issued shorts underneath when he escaped on Aug. 31. They don’t know where he got the backpack from at this time.
“There has been no change in his appearance,” District Attorney Deb Ryan said at a news conference Saturday.
Police have responded to more than 100 reports from neighbors in the area, including allegations of possible break-ins at nearby homes within a one- to two-mile radius of the jail.
Around 11:30 p.m. Friday night, a resident reported an attempted burglary in the 1000 block of Ballintree Lane in Pokopson Township. It’s unclear if it was Cavalcante.
“We are asking residents of the Pokopson Township area to stay indoors. Lock doors, lock cars. He is still considered an extremely dangerous individual. There is evidence that he is still in local residences. We do not believe he has been away from jail. It’s over a mile or two,” Ryan said.
Ryan added: “We believe that at this point we are getting closer to finding a suspect and we are narrowing our search.”
Jailed for stabbing ex-girlfriend
Cavalkant was convicted Aug. 16 of first-degree murder for murdering two of his ex-girlfriend Deborah Brandao in Schuylkill in 2021, officials said. stabbed her to death 38 times in the face of a child. Ryan said he had a valid arrest warrant at the time in connection with a 2017 murder in his native Brazil.
The jury took just 15 minutes to convict Cavalkan.
Ryan said he was sentenced to life without parole last week for the fatal stabbing and will be transferred to a state corrections facility within four weeks.
when did he escape
The escape occurred around 8:50 a.m. Thursday, according to the Chester County District Attorney’s Office.Cavalcante was seen walking on Wawaset Road in Pokopson Township at around 9:40 a.m.
How did this happen?
Authorities are still trying to figure out how he escaped.
“There is no evidence at this time that anyone helped facilitate his escape, or was assisting him,” said District Attorney Ryan. “We believe he is hiding locally and that he is alone.”
Howard Holland, the prison’s acting warden, said Thursday that an investigation into the escape is ongoing.
“As soon as we knew that a prisoner was not in the prison, we immediately followed the protocol and locked down the prison and did what is called a special inventory to confirm that only one person is missing,” Holland said.
Anyone with information is urged to call 911 or the US Marshals Reporting Hotline at 877-WANTED-2.
A $10,000 reward was offered for information leading to Cavalcante’s capture.
What does Danello Cavalcante look like?
Cavalkant is 5 feet tall and 120 pounds, with shaggy black curly hair and brown eyes.
He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, gray shorts and white sneakers. He is Brazilian and speaks Portuguese, Spanish and some English.
Cavalkant has family in Phoenixville, as does the victim’s family. Police have been in touch with them.
After Cavalkant murdered his ex-girlfriend, his family helped him flee, authorities said. Investigators warned his family that they, too, would be prosecuted if they helped him.
Concerns about prison alerts
Residents said the notification system needed improvement. They received a ChescoAlert on their mobile phone at 12:15 p.m.
“At 12:06 a.m. we got texts and alerts, why didn’t they do that at 9 a.m.?” asked Randy Mims of Pokopson Township.
With the busy holiday weekend in full swing, officials are advising the public not to fear but to remain vigilant.
“Check your stuff, check your neighbor’s stuff,” said Deputy Marshal Robert Clark, in charge of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
