Manhunt for murderer Danelo Cavalcante enters second day after Pennsylvania prison escape

Corrections & Clarifications: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified Chester County Prison. It is a county prison.

Pennsylvania officials continue to search for a murderer who escaped from prison on Thursday morning, just days after he was sentenced to life with no parole.

Authorities announced they are now offering a $10,000 reward in the second day of their manhunt for 34-year-old Danelo Cavalcante after officials said he escaped from Chester County Prison, located in the township of West Chester, Pennsylvania. Cavalcante was awaiting transfer to a state prison.

“Law enforcement is doing everything now to continue to locate him,” Dana Moore, a spokesperson for the Chester District Attorney's Office, told USA TODAY on Friday morning. “We’re pulling as many people as we possibly can to extend the search."

U.S. Marshals have also joined the effort to find Cavalcante, who is also wanted in connection with a homicide in his native Brazil, the agency has previously said. A request for comment to the U.S. Marshals was not immediately returned Friday.

Maria Bivens, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, told USA TODAY, Cavalcante was set to be transported to a state prison on Sept. 8, almost a month after a jury convicted him in the April 2021 stabbing death of his then-girlfriend Deborah Brandao, 33. Cavalcante killed Brandao in front of her two children outside of her Schuylkill Township home, about 30 miles northwest from Philadelphia. He fled, with the help of others, but was eventually arrested in Virginia.

Officials have warned he is extremely dangerous, and that residents should not approach him.

At a press conference Friday afternoon, Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan said officials don’t believe anyone is helping him evade authorities, and that he is hiding alone in the area.

“We have reason to believe that he is heading south,” Ryan said. "And we will find him no matter how long it takes."

She later added that after Cavalcante killed Brandao and was captured in Virginia, he had been heading toward Brazil. His goal, Ryan said, was to go to Mexico first and then Brazil.

Robert Clark, a supervisory deputy with the U.S. Marshals Service, also said they don’t believe Cavalcante left the area. Ahead of the Labor Day weekend, he warned residents to keep cars, bikes and other forms of transportation secured in case Cavalcante tried to use them to flee.

Manhunt ongoing:'Extremely dangerous' man escapes Pa. prison after getting life for murdering ex-girlfriend

Rafael Pinto Alamy, a homicide prosecutor in the Brazilian state of Tocantins, told USA TODAY that Cavalcante is accused of fatally shooting a man on Nov. 5, 2017, in the rural municipality of Figueiropolis.

The case was suspended because Cavalcante fled to the U.S., Pinto Alamy said in a WhatsApp message.

Chester County Commissioners and the U.S. Marshals are each offering $5,000 for information leading to his capture.

Cavalcante most recently lived in Royersford, a small town 32 miles northwest of Philadelphia, court records showed. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Cavalcante worked in construction and other trades after fleeing Brazil following the alleged 2017 murder. Pinto Alamy told USA TODAY Cavalcante lived on a farm as an agricultural worker in his native country.

A spokesperson for U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement told USA TODAY the agency became aware Cavalcante was in the country unlawfully after his arrest. The agency issued a detainer, but it's unknown how or when he entered the U.S., adding that ICE is also helping in the search, the spokesperson said.

On Thursday afternoon, Ryan told reporters Cavalcante stabbed Brandao 38 times after past domestic violence over the course of their relationship that lasted about a year-and-a-half. It took a jury 15 minutes to convict him.

Ryan said Cavalcante has “nothing to lose,” and he could be capable of more dangerous crimes. Moore said people who see him should not approach him but to call 911 immediately.

The wanted man was last seen just before 10 a.m. on Thursday in Pocopson Township walking on Wawaset Road. Standing 5 feet tall and weighing 120 pounds, he was last seen in a white T-shirt, gray shorts and white sneakers. He is fluent in Portuguese and Spanish.

Along with 911, anyone with information on his current location could also call U.S. Marshals at 1-877-WANTED2 or report the sighting online at usmarshals.gov/tips.