Police narrow search for dangerous and 'desperate' prison escapee Danelo Cavalcante

Law enforcement officials said Monday they are still hunting a convicted murderer who escaped a Pennsylvania prison last week, scouring a small area near the prison where they believe the man is hiding.

Authorities are searching for 34-year-old Danelo Cavalcante, who was sentenced to life in prison without parole for stabbing 33-year-old Deborah Brandao to death in 2021 while her 7-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son were present. He was awaiting transfer to a state facility when he escaped Chester County Prison just outside Philadelphia on Thursday.

Law enforcement officials said eyewitnesses have spotted Cavalcante several times − including once by a state trooper who briefly chased but was unable to capture the fugitive − in a region around Pocopson Township.

"We have secured that area, and continue to actively search it," Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens told reporters Monday afternoon. "We are confident, if he is in there, we will find him."

Prison escapee has 'very little to lose'

Bivens said area residents should familiarize themselves of a photo of the suspect, last seen wearing a white T-shirt, gray shorts and white sneakers. Area residents should be aware of surroundings, check on neighbors and home security cameras and avoid nearby wooded areas where Cavalcante might be hiding. Because many people in the area might be returning from holiday trips, Bivens urged them to call police if they have noticed any signs of disturbance at their home.

Police have announced up to a $10,000 reward for information that leads to Cavalcante's capture. He's also wanted for a 2017 murder in his native Brazil, the district attorney's office said.

Officials didn't say how Cavalcante escaped, but said he was last seen by an eyewitness Sunday afternoon in Pocopson Township. The acting warden of the prison, Howard Holland, earlier said Cavalcante "physically escaped," but said he didn't cut any fences to do so.

Bivens told reporters the fugitive is "desperate" and "has very little to lose at this point."

He had been in a relationship with Brandao for about a year and a half and "engaged in a horrific pattern of domestic violence," leading up to the murder, Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan said. Cavalcante stabbed Brandao 38 times in broad daylight, she said.

It took a jury just 15 minutes to convict Cavalcante of killing Brandao. Prosecutors said he was angry she planned to disclose a murder charge he was facing in Brazil.

When authorities showed Brandao's daughter a photo of Cavalcante to identify, she said, "That’s him, that’s the guy that killed my mom ... Please get him and put him in prison," the Pottstown Mercury reported in 2021.

Police have secured a voice recording from Cavalcante's mother urging him to peacefully surrender. They have played the recording in the search area in an effort to capture him, Bivens said.

Contributing: Jeanine Santucci