A convicted killer who escaped from a Pennsylvania prison has been spotted at least eight times since his release — and may be linked to a burglary reported Friday morning.
Fugitive Danelo Cavalcante, 34, escaped from the Chester County Jail in a rural area 30 miles west of Philadelphia on Aug. 31 and remains on the run.
He has been seen on camera several times in the area over the past nine days, and police are currently investigating whether he is connected to a reported break-in five miles from the Chester County Jail.
The burglary suspect was described as a shirtless man wearing dirty brown pants – and was last seen running west on Route 1, according to PHL17News.
Helicopters were seen circling the police search area on Friday morning as the manhunt intensified, with several schools closed and terrified residents barricaded in their homes.
The escaped prisoner has been spotted nine times since his escape and appears to be wearing the same pants he wore the day he escaped.
Danelo Cavalcante has been on the run for nine days since his escape from the Chester County Jail in Pennsylvania.
Chester County Jail is a maximum security prison in Pennsylvania
The killer escaped from an eastern Pennsylvania prison where he was serving a life sentence for the murder of his former girlfriend Débora Brandao (pictured), a mother of two.
Police warned local residents that the criminal was extremely dangerous and urged them to lock their doors. Authorities have now increased the reward for information to $20,000.
The Unionville-Chadds Ford School District and Kennett Consolidated School District have canceled classes and will remain in contact with authorities.
The Kennett Consolidated School District said in a statement: “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 .”
The killer escaped from an eastern Pennsylvania prison where he was serving a life sentence for the murder of his former girlfriend Débora Brandao.
The crab Cavalcante scaled the walls of an exercise area – placing his hands against one wall and his legs against the other and dragging himself, security footage shows.
Hundreds of law enforcement personnel are now battling extreme heat, high humidity and harsh landscapes to capture the fugitive.
A search dog involved in the investigation required medical treatment after suffering from 90-degree heat.
The first sighting of Cavalcante occurred when he was spotted at 1:43 a.m. Sept. 2 in the 1800 block of Lenape Road in Pocopson Township, about 1.5 miles from the Chester County Jail.
He was later seen on surveillance video in the early hours of September 2 wearing a white T-shirt and white sneakers with a backpack he had mysteriously obtained.
Cavalcante escaped from prison on August 31 and his escape was captured on CCTV footage. He was arrested for the murder of his ex-girlfriend and sentenced to life in prison.
The criminal was then allegedly seen again that night in the same area by a Pocopson Township resident inside his home Friday at 11:45 p.m. He “turned the lights” on the homeowner before stealing groceries , then left.
He told ABC6: “What I decided to do was hit the switch three, four or five times, take a break, and then he flipped a switch from the ground floor. pavement. It was time to say, “Oh my God, that guy is over there.
“I saw him come out of the kitchen through our living room, open that door and (and) walk out.” He was wearing a white shirt and a bag.
“Peaches, apples, snow peas were missing. We have a bunch of small steak knives and he could have taken one.
A state trooper also saw Cavalcante in the Pocopson Township area on Sept. 2 during the day.
A trail camera recorded Cavalcante walking through the woods twice in an hour late Monday, September 4.
On Tuesday night, September 5, another resident confirmed a sighting of Cavalcante near Chandler Road in the Pennsbury area who saw the prisoner in a creek bed near his home.
The escaped prisoner was later spotted near Longwood Gardens on September 7 around noon, near Longwood Gardens. He was seen running in a wooded area by a resident and Longwood Gardens was closed early as law enforcement searched for Cavalcante.
Police confirmed a new sighting of the criminal on Thursday evening, September 7, but did not provide details.
There may have been a ninth sighting of the escaped prisoner on the morning of Friday, September 8, in connection with the burglary of a house in Kennett Square.
The crab Cavalcante scaled two facing walls in a prison exercise area to escape on August 31.
Cavalcante was captured on surveillance footage on September 2 in the Pocopson Township area.
George Bevins, who is leading the investigation, said he believes Cavalcante was trying to move south into the area. The investigator said, “I’m confident we’ll wear him out.”
Cavalcante, 34, was convicted of first-degree murder on Aug. 16 for the 2021 fatal stabbing of his former girlfriend and mother of two, Deborah Brandão, 33, in Chester County.
Cavalcante is also wanted in a 2017 homicide case in his native Brazil. Authorities believe he was trying to flee to Mexico to return to Brazil after being captured in Virginia for Brandão’s murder.
Police said a recording of the prisoner’s mother speaking in Portuguese was broadcast from helicopters flying over the search area to facilitate his peaceful surrender. They have already warned that the fugitive could try to flee to Brazil.
