Here's How Authorities Finally Captured Danelo Cavalcante

KENNETT SQUARE, PA — The capture of convicted murderer Danelo Cavalcante Wednesday morning brought an end to one of the most notorious manhunts in the history of the Philadelphia region. After escaping from Chester County Prison, Cavalcante eluded law enforcement for 13 days until a combination of drones, dogs, and some 500 officers found him in the woods outside South Coventry Township just after 8 a.m.

“This is how government is supposed to work,” Gov. Josh Shapiro said, leading off a press conference in Kennett Square Wednesday morning.

See full coverage of Danelo Cavalcante’s escape and capture.

Shortly after midnight, a burglar alarm went off at a home off Prizer Road in South Coventry Township, Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said. He was not found nearby, but a heat signal was tracked at around 1 a.m. by aircraft using thermal technology.

A storm forced the aircraft to land, however, requiring officers to take a different tactic: they surrounded the smaller zone where the heat signal was located, and tracked Cavalcante to a large pile of logs.

Teams waited until dawn to approach, when the storm had cleared and they could be sure of the heat signal’s location just off Route 100. It was 8:14 a.m.

When Cavalcante spotted police, he tried to escape, crawling through thick underbrush with his rifle. A K9 dog was sent in and it subdued him with a “minor” bite wound, police said. Cavalcante continued to resist, and tactical teams captured him with no further injuries.

“Today is a great day in Chester County,” DA Deb Ryan said. “The nightmare is over.”

Ryan also praised law enforcement for working through “horrible” conditions, citing the weather as a reason for the capture taking so long.

Cavalcante was captured wearing an Eagles sweatshirt and was noticeably bloodied as he was brought into custody.

Chester County Commissioners Marian Moskowitz, Josh Maxwell, and Michelle Kichline released a joint statement saying that they've contracted prison security experts and made several immediate changes to the exercise yard and other areas.

'The capture of Cavalcante ends the nightmare of the past two weeks, and we thank every single law enforcement official at the regional, state and federal level that was out in all weather conditions, all day and night – as well as everyone in the incident command center, our County Department of Emergency Services and County Sheriff’s Office – for their immense efforts," the commissioners said.

Cavalcante, a Brazilian national, was convicted on Aug. 16 of first-degree murder in the April 18, 2021 stabbing of his former girlfriend Deborah Brandao. He escaped from Chester County Prison on Aug. 31 and the search for him extended from the area of the prison, Longwood Gardens, and Phoenixville, to the woods in northern Chester County where he was finally captured.

See previous story: Escaped Murderer Danelo Cavalcante Captured, State Police Confirm