Danelo Cavalcante spotted again as stolen van found and sister arrested

Pennsylvania State Police Lt Col George Biven revealed that Cavalcante’s sister Eleni Cavalcante was arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement over “some immigration issues.

Ms Cavalcante reportedly faces deportation.

Residents of the suburban Pennsylvania county where a full-scale manhunt is underway for an escaped inmate have said they can’t understand why it has taken authorities so long to capture the “extremely dangerous” killer.

The manhunt for convicted murderer Danelo Cavalcante entered its eighth day on Thursday as several law enforcement agencies, including the US Marshals, SWAT, and local and state police, continue searching a vast wooded area in Chester County where he is believed to be hiding.

Also during Sunday’s press conference, Lt Col Bivens revealed that the fugitive’s sister Eleni Cavalcante had been arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

She faces possible deportation over “some immigration issues”, he said, declining to answer reporters’ questions about whether the arrest had any connection to her sibling’s efforts to elude police capture.

Police searching for Danelo Cavalcante said on Sunday that the fugitive stole a white Ford van on Saturday just outside the area law enforcement was monitoring around the prison and used it to travel approximately 25 miles to the township of East Pikeland.

The van’s keys had been left inside the vehicle, police said.

Cavalcante then attempted to contact a former work associate at his residence and was captured on video by the doorbell camera.

Screenshots of the video circulated by police earlier show Cavalcante had changed his appearance to elude capture including shaving his beard and moustache.

“You will note that Cavalcante is now clean shaven and wearing a bright green hooded sweatshirt,” lieutenant colonel George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police told reporters.

Lt Col Bivens said the fugitive attempted to contact a second work associate on Saturday night in Phoenixville, about 30 miles northwest of Philadelphia, but once again the individual was not home. A neighbour noticed Cavalcante and notified authorities.

Police said it recovered the stolen van in a field on Sunday morning, but Cavalcante was nowhere to be found.

“No perimeter is 100 per cent secure, ever,” Bevins said in response to questions from the media about how the fugitive could elude such a large law enforcement effort, with hundreds of officers involved in the search.

“I am confident we will capture him, and we will bring him back into the criminal justice system.”

There have been multiple sightings of Cavalcante since his jail break.

Last week, school districts in the area cancelled classes for a day after one such sighting, officials said.

Police have offered up to $20,000 for tips leading to his capture.

Bevan Hurley has the latest.

Authorities said that the woods in the search perimeter are so vast that investigators can only walk a few feet without losing sight of each other.

Pennsylvania State Lt Col George Bivens said that search units were experiencing challenges amid hot weather while canvassing the area where Cavalcante is believed to be hiding.

A K-9 unit had to be hospitalised on Tuesday, Mr Bivens said, after suffering a heat-related medical incident.

“I don’t think he has more ability than we initially gave him credit for, I think it’s a very challenging area,” Mr Bivens said. “We have had some searches like this in the past … some take hours, some take days, some take months.”

Shocking footage shows Danelo Cavalcente’s escape from a Pennsylvania prison by shimmying himself up a between two walls.

The criminal broke out of Chester County Prison, southwest of Philadelphia, by climbing between two walls and jumping onto the prison’s roof from the exercise yard.

Cavalcante is thought to have escaped at around 8:50am on 31 August 2023 and is still on the run.

Police believe the manhunt is “wearing Cavalcante down” and are confident of finding him soon.

Cavalcante was in prison for life without parole for the murder of his ex-girlfriend, Deborah Brandão.

In an image previously released by the Chester County District Attorney, Cavalcante was wearing trousers, a light-coloured t-shirt, white sneakers and a backpack. He is described as having long, black curly hair and police said his “appearance has remained unchanged.”

Given the danger around the situation, residents have been asked to “remain indoors at this time. Lock your vehicles. Review your surveillance cameras and contact police if you observe anything suspicious,” DA Deb Ryan said.

Cavalcante has so far eluded hundreds of law officers, including tactical teams in full combat gear, tracking dogs, cops on horseback and from aircraft.

As the search continues, nervous residents remain alert for any sign of the fugitive.

West Chester resident Ryan Drummond claimed in an interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer that one of Cavalcante’s confirmed sightings occurred at his home.

Mr Drummond said that he woke up to noises downstairs on 1 September and realised that there was an intruder.

“I decided not to confront him and thought it was a better move to flick the light switch,” Mr Drummond, whose wife and children were also in the home, told the Inquirer. “And he flicked it back at me, which was terrifying, so I told my wife to call 911.”

Pennsylvania State Lt Col George Bivens said on Wednesday that Cavalcante had some experience hiding and surviving in the woods from growing up in his native Brazil.

However, Mr Biven said that he was confident the manhunt was “wearing Cavalcante down.”

“Despite the location, the background a person comes from. These are hot, humid temperatures. He has no regular means of obtaining food other than if he’s able to break in someplace or scavenge something,” Mr Bivens said. “So it’s a difficult experience … that is going to definitely take its toll.”