A convicted murderer who escaped from a Pennsylvania prison has been spotted at least eight times since escaping from prison — 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 is still on the run.
He has been seen on camera several times in the area over the past nine days, with police now investigating whether he is linked to a burglary about five miles away at the Chester County Jail.
The burglary suspect was described as a shirtless man wearing dirty brown pants — and was last seen walking westbound from 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 breakout 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 escaping from the Chester County Jail in Pennsylvania
The Chester County Jail is a maximum security prison in Pennsylvania
The killer escaped from East Pennsylvania Prison, where he was serving a life sentence for the murder of his ex-girlfriend Débora Brandao (pictured), who was the mother of two children.
Police have warned local residents that the criminal is extremely dangerous and have called on 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 remain in contact with authorities.
Kennett Consolidated School District said in a statement, “We were informed by law enforcement early this morning that the search situation has evolved and out of an abundance of caution, schools and offices will be closed today.”
The killer escaped from prison in East Pennsylvania, where he was serving a life sentence for the murder of his ex-girlfriend Débora Brandao.
The Cavalcante crab walked up the walls of an exercise room – by placing its hands against one wall and its legs against the other and shuffling, security footage shows.
Hundreds of law enforcement personnel are now battling extreme heat, high humidity and difficult landscapes to capture the fugitive.
A search dog involved in the investigation required medical treatment because it suffered from 90-degree heat.
The first sighting of Cavalcante occurred when he was spotted at 1:43 a.m. on September 2 on the 1800 block of Lenape Road in Pocopson Township, about 1.5 miles from the Chester County Prison.
He was then 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 acquired.
Cavalcante escaped from prison on August 31 and his escape was captured on CCTV. He was arrested for the murder of his ex-girlfriend and given a life sentence
It was later reported that the criminal was seen again in the same area by a Pocopson Township resident at his home that evening at 11:45 p.m. Friday. He “switched off the lights” at the owner before stealing some food and leaving.
He told ABC6, “What I decided to do was flip the switch three, four or five times, pause for a second, and then he flipped a light switch from downstairs. This was the moment of, ‘Oh my God, this guy is down there.
“I saw him walk out of the kitchen through our living room, open the door and walk out. He was wearing a white shirt and carrying a bag.
“Peaches, apples and green peas were missing. We have a set of small steak knives and he could have taken one of those.’
A state trooper also spotted Cavalcante during the day on September 2 in the Pocopson Township area.
A trail camera recorded how Cavalcante walked through the forest twice within an hour late on Monday, September 4.
On Tuesday, September 5 overnight, there was another confirmed sighting of Cavalcante near Chandler Road in the Pennsbury area by a resident who saw the inmate in the creek bed near their home.
The escaped convict was then spotted near Longwood Gardens around noon on September 7. He was spotted by a resident in a wooded area and Longwood Gardens was closed early as law enforcement officials searched for Cavalcante.
Police confirmed a new sighting of the criminal on the evening of Thursday, September 7, but did not provide details.
Now there may have been a ninth sighting of the escaped convict in connection with the burglary of a house in Kennett Square on the morning of Friday, September 8.
Cavalcante Crab walked up two opposing walls in a prison exercise room to escape on August 31.
Cavalcante was captured on surveillance footage in the Pocopson Township area on September 2
George Bevins, who is leading the investigation, said he believes Cavalcante is trying to move south within the area. The researcher said, “I’m pretty sure we’re exhausting him.”
Cavalcante, 34, was convicted Aug. 16 of first-degree murder in the 2021 fatal stabbing of his ex-girlfriend and mother of two, 33-year-old Deborah Brandão, in Chester County.
Cavalcante is also wanted in a 2017 murder case in his native Brazil. Authorities believe he tried to flee to Mexico to return to Brazil after being arrested in Virginia for Brandão’s murder
Police said a recording of the detainee’s mother speaking Portuguese is being broadcast from helicopters flying over the search area to facilitate his peaceful surrender. They have previously warned that the fugitive could try to flee to Brazil.