Are law enforcement officials pursuing the right strategy in apprehending escaped murderer Danelo Souza Cavalcante? He’s been on the run for two weeks, escaping Chester County Prison in Pennsylvania on August 31 by crab-walking up a wall and climbing over the razor wire. The Associated Press reports that no one noticed he was missing for at least an hour, leading to a correctional officer being fired. Pennsylvania police and the U.S. Marshal Service established an eight-mile perimeter in Chester County to find Cavalcante, who managed to evade the search parties by stealing a dairy truck and driving the vehicle until it ran out of gas.
Police added that they feel he’s desperate, as he’s reportedly been reaching out to folks he hasn’t spoken to in years. But they’re also facing some blowback from locals who fear law enforcement might have blown their chance at capturing Cavalcante (via AP):
Authorities in Pennsylvania who have been trying to capture an escaped murderer for nearly two weeks pushed back Monday against questions about whether they blew a chance to collar him, instead blaming the complex terrain in the initial search area for the fugitive’s success in getting clear of it.
Top state and federal officials insisted that the blown perimeter around the area where hundreds had been searching for Danelo Souza Cavalcante includes heavy woods, underground tunnels and drainage ditches. They also said it took more than two hours for news to reach them that he had been spotted outside of the perimeter for the first time.
At a news conference, they rejected the suggestion that they haven’t been using enough searchers and insisted that the effort — in its 12th day Monday — favors them, despite the fact that there is no longer a well-defined perimeter or any fresh sightings to report.
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Cavalcante slipped out of the 8-square-mile (13-square-kilometer) search area over the weekend, stole a dairy delivery van that had been left unlocked with the keys in it, and drove it until it practically ran out of gas.
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Lt. Col. George Bivens, of the Pennsylvania State Police, declined to say how he thinks Cavalcante slipped through the perimeter, but he said no perimeter is completely secure.
Cavalcante is desperate because he is reaching out for help from people with whom he hasn’t spoken in years, he said.
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Cavalcante, 34, has eluded capture since Aug. 31, when he broke out of the Chester County Prison while awaiting transfer to a different lockup. He had been sentenced to life in prison for fatally stabbing an ex-girlfriend in 2021, allegedly to stop her from telling police that he’s wanted in a slaying in his home country of Brazil.
It gets worse. He’s now armed, and he’s changed his appearance. Cavalcante’s mother said her son knows how to survive (via NBC News):
Escaped convict Danelo Cavalcante was shot at Monday night by a homeowner who found him in his garage stealing a rifle, Pennsylvania authorities said.
The homeowner called police at 10:10 p.m. ET to say a short Hispanic man wearing no shirt and dark pants had entered the garage while the homeowner was in it and grabbed a .22-caliber rifle leaning in the corner, State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said at a news briefing Tuesday morning.
The homeowner opened fire at the man, who the police said was Cavalcante, several times as he “fled with the rifle.”
Police responded to the home on Coventryville Road within minutes, but Cavalcante was gone. Bivens said he believed Cavalcante, 34, who has been on the run since Aug. 31, was unharmed.
And now Dog the Bounty Hunter might get involved in the manhunt. Cavalcante’s escape has led to school closures in Chester County. Robert Clark, the supervisor of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force in Philadelphia, said, "Now we’re going to prepare for the long game, and the long game is what we do best
The hunt continues.
Cavalcante is believed to be within a perimeter in the South Coventry Township area: Routes 23 & 100, Fairview & Nantmeal Roads, and Iron Bridge & County Park Roads. Residents should secure buildings, property and vehicles. Report sightings or related activity immediately to 911.
— PA State Police (@PAStatePolice) September 12, 2023
Cavalcante was last spotted in South Coventry Twp, Chester Co., shirtless and wearing blue pants, carrying a stolen .22 rifle with a flashlight. Residents should call 911 immediately if he is spotted. For general tips or info, please call (717) 562-2987.
— PA State Police (@PAStatePolice) September 12, 2023
PSP is pursuing Danelo Cavalcante in the area of Ridge Rd/Coventryville Rd/Daisy Point Rd in South Coventry Twp., Chester Co. He is armed. Residents in the area are asked to lock all doors and windows, secure vehicles, and remain indoors. Do not approach. Call 911 if seen.
— PA State Police (@PAStatePolice) September 12, 2023