CNN
—
The manhunt for Danelo Cavalcante has shifted, leaving two nearby school districts closed and the community on high alert, after the escaped murderer was spotted outside the original search area, Pennsylvania police said Tuesday.
Cavalcante escaped from Chester County Prison on Thursday morning and authorities began by scouring a heavily wooded area in Pocopson Township and Chester County within 2 miles of the prison – around 30 miles west of Philadelphia.
Police have now expanded the perimeter of the search area after a security camera recorded Cavalcante at Longwood Gardens on Monday evening. That’s south of where the previously established perimeter was, Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said during a news conference Tuesday.
Cavalcante was spotted by a security camera Monday night at 8:21 p.m. He was walking north and was sighted again at 9:33 p.m., this time heading back south.
While Cavalcante’s appearance was unchanged, Bivens said he had obtained some items, including a backpack, a “duffel-sling type pack,” and a hooded sweatshirt.
A popular tourist spot, Longwood Gardens boasts over 200 acres of “lush, formal gardens, open meadows, and winding paths.” The attraction was closed Tuesday as police searched the property and surrounding area.
Cavalcante, 34, was convicted of first-degree murder on August 16 in the killing of his former girlfriend, 33-year-old Deborah Brandão, in 2021. He was sentenced to life without parole.
There had been five “credible sightings” of Cavalcante within the previous search radius, Bivens said.
“We believe he is just south of that radius, and we have shifted the perimeter,” Bivens said. Police are eliminating the northern end of the previous perimeter and shifting the search area south of Route 1.
Police issued a Reverse 911 call Tuesday morning to residents within 3 miles of the area where Cavalcante was spotted. Authorities have advised residents to keep their doors and cars locked, warning that Cavalcante is extremely dangerous.
Bivens said if his own home were near the search area, “even while I was in the house, I would have my doors locked.”
While the new search zone is more open than the heavily wooded area police were previously focused on, Bivens said there are plenty of places for Cavalcante to hide.
About 200 to 250 people are on the ground at any given time, aiding with search efforts. Police are trying to put pressure on the inmate, who they believe seized on an opportunity to get out of jail and is now “winging it.”
“You’re dealing with someone who is desperate and doesn’t want to be caught,” Bivens said.
Ryan Drummond of Pocopson Township told CNN affiliate WPVI he believes he saw Cavalcante inside his home. Drummond said he got up to investigate after hearing a noise from downstairs at around 11:45 p.m. Friday.
“What I decided to do was flip the light switch on and off three or four or five times, pause, and then he flipped the light switch from downstairs three or four times, which was the moment of, like, ‘Oh my God, this guy’s down there,’” Drummond said.
Drummond said he then watched as Cavalcante walked out of his home, taking food in the process. US Marshals returned to the home Sunday, searching the woods alongside his property, Drummond said.
Cavalcante was spotted again on a surveillance camera a little after midnight Sunday about 1.5 miles away from the prison, the Chester County District Attorney’s Office said in a Facebook post on Saturday morning – and police received a report of an attempted burglary Sunday in nearby Pocopson Township, the Facebook post says.
A state trooper also saw Cavalcante in the area, Biven said during a news conference Monday.
Two school districts announced they will be closed Tuesday after authorities said the manhunt had shifted.
Kennett Consolidated School District, which is about 9 miles from the prison, and Unionville-Chadds Ford School District, about 5 miles from the prison, both announced they will be closed Tuesday. “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,” said the superintendent of Kennett Consolidated School District.
“The district has received information that the status of the situation with the escaped prisoner has changed. Schools and offices are closed today and the district will operate on a Flexible Instructional Day,” Unionville-Chadds Ford School District announced.
Hundreds of law enforcement officers, including the US Marshals, SWAT, local, state and other agencies were deployed to help with the search. Additional federal agencies including the FBI and US Customs Border Patrol have now sent resources to the Chester County area, the DA said Tuesday.
Police using a helicopter and patrol cars even tried broadcasting a message in Portuguese from Cavalcante’s mother encouraging him to surrender, Clark said during a news conference Monday.
Cavalcante is also wanted in a 2017 homicide case in Brazil, which led to him fleeing the country, said Clark. Authorities previously said they were looking into whether Cavalcante had inside help to escape.