Danelo Cavalcante, the convicted murderer who escaped from Chester County Prison 11 days ago, has slipped away once again after he escaped a police perimeter near Longwood Gardens, changed his appearance, and was spotted overnight near Phoenixville, police said.
In a late morning update, officials said they believe Cavalcante has now fled the Phoenixville area too.
Yet, at an afternoon press conference, officials did not share where the convicted killer may now be headed.
By 2 p.m., PA State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said officials had recovered a van that Cavalcante stole from a local farm.
The vehicle was found, Bivens said, behind a barn in East Nantmeal Township at about 10:40 a.m.
Bivens said that the vehicle was out of gas.
Also, during the afternoon press conference, Bivens said Cavalcante’s sister — who he didn’t name, but noted that she lives in the area — has been arrested and is facing deportation.
When asked how Cavalcante may have escaped as officers searched an area around Longwood Gardens, Bivens said that there are underground tunnels in that area that “cannot be secured.”
“I wish that he had not been able to slip through there, but that does happen sometimes,” he said. “It was not for a lack of trying that this occurred.”
Where he might be headed next? Bivens refused to speculate. Though he said that he believes Cavalcante remains in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
“Do I know a specific spot where he is right now? No,” said Bivens. “Do I think generally I have an idea of where he is? Probably. But, not specific enough to say ‘let’s put a hard parameter up right now’.”
On the run through Phoenixville
Just before 8 a.m., officials confirmed that “Cavalcante is operating a 2020 White Ford Transit van bearing Pennsylvania registration ZST8818.”
The van has a refrigeration unit on the top and, officials said, it had been reported stolen by Baily’s Dairy in West Chester.
This vehicle has since been recovered by police.
Authorities say that escaped convict Danelo Cavalcante stole a white dairy van that he used to make two stops, one in Phoenixville where residents are now on high alert. NBC10’s Brian Sheehan spoke with residents in the area as the search progresses.
The movement on Sunday morning is significant in the ongoing search for Cavalcante, who has been spotted multiple times since his escape, all within a few miles of the prison on the other side of the county.
The Phoenixville sighting is roughly 25 miles away from the original search zone.
Upper Providence Township Police and the United States Marshals Service posted the following surveillance photos from a home security camera taken early Sunday.
Cavalcante can now be seen without a beard and in different clothing, although still wearing what appear to be prison-issued green pants.
Cavalcante, 34, escaped while awaiting transfer to a state prison on Aug. 31 after being sentenced to life in prison for fatally stabbing his ex-girlfriend in 2021. Prosecutors say he wanted to stop her from telling police that he’s wanted over a killing in his home country of Brazil.
That murder took place in the Phoenixville area.
Authorities have described Cavalcante as extremely dangerous. With the search in its second week, nervous residents remain alert for any sign of him.
Cavalcante has eluded hundreds of law enforcement personnel, including tracking dogs, tactical teams in full combat gear and police on horseback and in helicopters southwest of Philadelphia.
On Friday, the ranks of searchers swelled to its largest number yet at around 400 personnel, Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens told reporters at a command post.
Meanwhile, the ongoing search for Cavalcante didn’t stop Kennett Square from throwing its popular annual Mushroom Festival on Saturday.
Longwood Gardens was closed indefinitely after reports that Cavalcante may have once again been spotted on the property. People who remained there overnight Thursday were told to shelter in place as officers searched part of the garden.
The botanical garden, sprawling across nearly 200 acres, is normally open to the public with paths winding through gardens, an outdoor theater, ponds, fountains and meadows, with structures including indoor gardens, treehouses and a restaurant.
There was a possible sighting of Cavalcante on Thursday night that was being investigated, state police said, but further details were not disclosed. It came hours after another person reported seeing Cavalcante in another area of the vast botanical garden.
On Monday night, a surveillance camera on a trail had captured him walking through its grounds.
There’s a $20,000 reward for information leading to his capture.
The escape and search have attracted international attention and became big news in Brazil. The main newspaper in Rio de Janeiro ran a lengthy story Wednesday with the headline “Dangerous hide-and-seek.”