Manhunt For Murderer Continues; 2 Eastern PA School Districts Closed

CHESTER COUNTY —Unionville-Chadds Ford School District and Kennett Consolidated School District are closed for a second day as law enforcement officers continue to search for escaped murderer Danelo Cavalcante of Royersford.

Cavalcante, 34, has been on the run since last Thursday in southern Chester County.

Dr. Dusty Blakey, superintendent of the Kennett district, said several of the district's communities are in the perimeter of the police search.

Blakey said the decision was reached out of caution for the community.

Unionville-Chadds Ford district closed because the search, which began early last Thursday morning, is also within the perimeter of the district.

Dr. John Sanville, superintendent of the Unionville-Chadds Ford district, said there are numerous road closures in the community that will impact many of the staff and families' ability to safely get to school.

All schools in the Unionville-Chadds Ford district will have a Flexible Instructional Day. Parents and caretakers are asked to refer to the FID Quick View for what to expect.

Today is the seventh day of the search for Cavalcante, who was convicted on Aug. 16 of first-degree murder in the April 18, 2021, fatal stabbing of his ex-girlfriend, Deborah Brandao, in front of her children in Schuylkill Township.

He was sentenced on Aug. 22 in the Chester County Justice Center in West Chester to life in state prison.

Following the sentencing, Cavalcante was taken to the Chester County Prison in Pocopson Township, to await transportation to a state prison.

Cavalcante, a Brazilian man who speaks Portuguese and Spanish and some English, escaped from Chester County Prison at 8:50 a.m. Thursday.

How did Cavalcante escape?

Cavalcante escaped from the prison in a method similar to the way another inmate, Igor Bolte, escaped on May 19, according to ABC News.

Bolte, 30, was in the exercise yard of the Chester County Prison when he scaled the wall until reaching the roof. Surveillance footage showed Bolte climbing down the roof of the building and running past the security station. Bolte was captured in five minutes.

After the Bolte escape, the security system was assessed and razor wire was installed at the area near the escape.

However, Cavalcante reportedly took the same route to escape. He was seen 50 minutes later walking on Wawaset Road in Pocopson Township.

Cavalcante was wearing a white T-shirt with gray shorts with white sneakers. He is 5 feet tall and 120 pounds, with black curly hair and brown eyes.

Multiple sightings, breaks in police perimeter

Cavalcante has been spotted multiple times since he escaped Thursday from the Chester County Prison at 8:50 a.m.

He was first spotted shortly before 1:45 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 2, in the 1800 block of Lenape Road, approximately 1.5 miles from the county prison. His appearance has remained unchanged since his escape Thursday morning.

The last known sighting was on a privately owned motion-activated wildlife trail camera at Longwood Gardens, a tourist destination in East Marlborough Township.

Police released photos of Cavalcante on the trail in Longwood Gardens. One image of Cavalcante shows him walking north at 8:21 p.m. and and another photo shows him walking south through the same area at 9:33 p.m.

At a news conference Tuesday morning, Pennsylvania State Lt. Col. George Bivens said Cavalcante slipped through a police perimeter Monday, forcing the closure of two school districts and the search grid to move south of Baltimore Pike, also known as U.S. Route 1.

"He found a point that he could squeeze through that perimeter and he traveled south,” Bivens said. “We'll now expand that perimeter and move it so that we can try and encapsulate him again.”

Neighbors on high alert

Wendy Hughes, who lives in a development near Longwood Gardens in Kennett Township, said the residents are unnerved about Cavalcante hiding out near their neighborhood.

Hughes said she has been checking her shed every morning since the escape to see if he is hiding there.

“The concerning part is he has been breaking into houses,” Hughes said. “He got into someone’s house and was flipping lights on and off. I don’t want him coming into my house."