Watermelons, Woods, Escape To Canada: What Danelo Cavalcante Had Planned

EASTERN PA — For nearly two weeks, not only did escaped murderer Danelo Cavalcante elude a 21st century search party of elite K9 dogs, drones, and ground and aerial tactical teams, he did so with nearly no resources.

The fugitive made use of what little was available to him: clothes he was able to steal from nearby houses, a stolen white truck, a stolen .22 caliber rifle.

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

It was a long journey through southeastern Pennsylvania’s hot and humid woodlands, from the fields of Pocopson Township where he escaped from Chester County Prison, to the lush grounds of Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, to the dense forests and rolling hills where he was eventually captured in South Coventry Township.

He primarily moved at night, and drank water from nearby creeks to survive, police said. He also ate watermelons from gardens he passed by.

Several times, Cavalcante managed to break through established police perimeters. Those calls were closer than anyone could’ve imagined.

He often hid in the dirt and under logs when law enforcement was nearby. U.S. Marshal Supervisory Deputy Robert Clark told CNN's Erin Burnett that Cavalcante told police he was nearly stepped on three different times during the search.

At some points, he stayed still for up to a day and a half, the report adds. He also buried the belongings he’d gathered to hide them when he needed to move swiftly, authorities said. Police recovered one of his backpacks earlier this week.

The ultimate plan was to carjack a vehicle at gunpoint within the next 24 hours and head north to Canada, Clark said.

That’s the opposite of what investigators had initially suspected, believing he was headed for Mexico and possibly back to his native Brazil from there. That supposition always felt bizarre, however, as Cavalcante is also wanted in Brazil, and Canada is much closer to Chester County than Mexico.

Cavalcante’s initial interview with authorities also reportedly revealed that he knew he was at high risk of capture, matching what Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens had told the public on Tuesday.

“He said the law enforcement presence where he was was immense and he felt that he needed to leave,” Clark told CNN.

He is currently being held in SCI Phoenix in Montgomery County. A preliminary hearing on new charges is set for Sept. 27.