UPDATE on schools at bottom

Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens told reporters Monday afternoon that “deadly force is authorized” if convicted murderer Danelo Cavalcante does not surrender peacefully.

Cavalcante was convicted of stabbing his girlfriend Deborah Brandao 38 times because she threatened to reveal that he was wanted in his home country of Brazil for a murder there. The stabbing took place in front of her two children. Two weeks ago, he was sentenced to life in prison but he managed to escape from Chester County Prison in Pocopson Township last Thursday morning, Aug. 31.

Bivens said there have been four confirmed sightings of Cavalcante since his escape, the most recent being Sunday afternoon when a state trooper spotted him but could not get to him before he was able to hide. Authorities believe the escapee is still in a heavily wooded area within a 1.5- to 2-mile radius of the prison. The bulk of the search has been south of the prison, in the area of Routes 52 and 926.

State police have taken the lead in the pursuit of Cavalcante at the request of Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan.

Flanked by Ryan and Rob Clark of the U.S. Marshals Service, Bivens said the suspect is still in the area and that police believe he is desperate and potentially dangerous. But he also said Cavalcante is likely exhausted, hungry, and thirsty.

Residents in the search area may hear a recorded public address announcement in Portuguese from helicopters or patrol cars. That message is from Cavalcante’s mother who is urging him to surrender peacefully.

“We are confident that if he is in there, we will find him,” Bivens said during the Labor Day afternoon press conference in the Chester County Government Services building.

“We’re asking for the public’s help in a number of ways,” he continued, saying people should familiarize themselves with Cavalcante’s description and photograph. Residents are also asked to stay away from the wooded areas not part of their property.  They should also check on their neighbors and, if they’re not at home, let the state police know so troopers can check the temporarily vacated property. He said many people could be away because of the Labor Day weekend.

And if people notice anything disturbed on their property or within their home, call the police. Cavalcante is looking for food, clothing, and shelter, any means to sustain himself. Residents should also check their home security cameras and, if they notice anything unusual, call the police.

“We’re not trying to lock people down; we just want to keep them as safe as possible while we thoroughly search that area,” Bivens said.

However, he added, “We’ll continue to push him hard and stress him. I want to push him hard so that he’ll make mistakes. He’ll show himself. And we will eventually catch him.”

Ryan spoke briefly, saying only that the investigation into how Cavalcante escaped is ongoing and that she couldn’t comment further on that.

“Our goal right now is to find this man and capture him. So, we are spending all of our efforts to bring him into custody,” she said.

There is still a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the capture of Cavalcante. There is also a tip line, 717-562-2987.

UPDATE

The Unionville-Chadds Ford School District will resume classes on Tuesday. See https://chaddsfordlive.com/2023/09/04/u-cf-schools-to-open-tuesday/

About Rich Schwartzman

Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.

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