Pennsylvania police release new footage in ongoing manhunt for escaped murderer

Phoenixville, Pennsylvania - As the huge Pennsylvania manhunt for an escaped killer entered its 11th day, authorities on Sunday released security camera footage showing the man had slipped through a search perimeter and changed his look.

Danelo Cavalacante escaped from Chester County Prison on August 31 and has been on the run ever since.
Danelo Cavalacante escaped from Chester County Prison on August 31 and has been on the run ever since.  © PA State Police

Photos released Sunday showed Danelo Cavalcante was no longer sporting the dark beard and mustache seen in his original "wanted" poster.

"He is now clean shaven and was wearing a yellow or green hooded sweatshirt, black baseball style hat, green prison pants and white shoes," said a statement from the Pennsylvania State Police.

They posted four pictures of Cavalcante, all apparently taken by a door camera as he stood or sat on a house porch.

Police said the convicted murderer, who escaped from Chester County Prison on August 31, had reportedly been seen overnight near the town of Phoenixville, about 20 miles north of the prison and about 30 miles northwest of Philadelphia.

Phoenixville is the town where Cavalcante killed his girlfriend, Deborah Brandao, in April 2021. He had lived nearby. Authorities had previously said that Brandao's relatives in the area were under 24-hour protection.

Police said Sunday that the escapee was driving a 2020 White Ford Transit van, reportedly stolen from a dairy in West Chester.

Search for Cavalcante continues

Early Sunday, a reporter for the NBC affiliate in Philadelphia who drove through the area said the only cars seen on the road were from law enforcement agencies. Police carrying long guns were checking the area in the pre-dawn dark.

There have been several sightings of the convict so far, including some in which he was shirtless.

On Wednesday, prison officials released a video showing how Cavalcante crab-walked up two parallel walls and then climbed to the roof of the prison before making his way over two razor-wire fences.

Cover photo: PA State Police

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