Danelo Cavalcante, an escaped prisoner, was observed twice on Friday in the Chester County search area, according to Pennsylvania state police. The search area appears to be getting smaller as authorities try to find the fugitive.
Authorities described these as “visual sightings” in the vicinity of Longwood Gardens, a county-owned public esplanade. They didn’t offer any more information. On Saturday, a fresh wanted poster was published.
After being found guilty of fatally stabbing his former lover, Cavalcante was given a life sentence without the possibility of parole last month. On August 31, Cavalcante managed to escape the Chester County Prison in Pocopson Township.
In the exercise yard’s brick and cinderblock walls, he stretched himself out before climbing to the roof, as seen on surveillance video. Cavalcante was able to get around the razor wire that had been put up on the roof of the prison after inmate Igor Bolte’s brief escape in a similar manner in May.
An on-duty prison officer who was there when Cavalcante, 34, fled has now been sacked, a Chester County official announced on Friday. By using a smartphone within the tower, the unnamed guard broke jail rules, the spokesperson claimed.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Danelo Cavalcante should call: 911, PA State Police at 1-877-926-8332 or anonymously at 1-800-4PA-TIPS (8477) or https://t.co/R9ORvGZe6j.#DaneloCavalcante pic.twitter.com/snsCxEylI4
— Chester County Government (@ChescoGovt) September 9, 2023
The search has been aided by some 400 law enforcement agents from different agencies. On Saturday, a smaller perimeter—4 square miles as opposed to Friday’s roughly 10-mile perimeter—was being searched.
Officers have searched through parts of Chester County using heat-sensing devices, K9 dogs, and helicopters. The Pennsylvania State Police’s Lt. Col. George Bivens stated that despite the search being challenging due to the heat and excessive humidity, officers “are up to the task.”
Up to $20,000 is being offered as a reward for information that results in Cavalcante’s capture.