WEST CHESTER, Pa. (NewsNation) — An escaped murderer on the run in southeast Pennsylvania has so far eluded hundreds of law officers as the search entered its second week and nervous residents stayed alert for any sign of the fugitive.
Danelo Souza Cavalcante, a 34-year-old from Brazil, escaped from Chester County Prison on Aug. 31 by scaling a wall, climbing over razor wire and jumping from a roof. The breakout mirrored an earlier escape there in May and wasn’t detected by guards for a full hour, authorities said. A corrections officer on duty when Cavalcante escaped was fired Thursday. He was an 18-year veteran of the prison.
Since the escape, there have been eight sightings that police believe could be Cavalcante, the latest around noon Thursday, said Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens.
The search area now encompasses an area of 8 to 10 square miles.
It was pushed west to include Longwood Gardens — a botanical garden spanning more than 1,000 acres — after a resident called authorities. Surveillance videos also got footage of Cavalcante on Wednesday night in the area.
Longwood Gardens said Thursday night it was closing the property and clearing out guests so police could conduct a search in an “area of interest” on the property. Tenants in the area were also asked to shelter in place.
In a later post on X, the former Twitter, Longwood Gardens said it would be closed until further notice.
Bivens said the fugitive has managed to get clothing and unknown supplies, and there’s now a $20,000 reward for information leading to his capture.
“We’ll keep up this search at whatever tempo is appropriate for as long as we need to,” Bivens told reporters Friday. “He’s a dangerous individual.”
Cavalcante received a life sentence last month for killing his ex-girlfriend in front of her children in 2021. He escaped while awaiting transfer to state prison. Prosecutors say he killed her to prevent her from telling police that he’s wanted in a 2017 killing back in Brazil.
Authorities believe he was trying to return to Brazil after his ex-girlfriend’s murder. He was initially captured in Virginia.
The latest annual reports show Chester County reported only one escape from its facility from 2015 through 2022. That doesn’t include a May escape, when an inmate similarly crab-walked up the walls of the entrance to the exercise yard, climbed to the roof, jumped down and ran for it. He was captured minutes later, officials said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.