Search continues for escaped Pa. convict amid continued sightings

Sept. 9 (UPI) -- The Pennsylvania State Police said they are continuing their search efforts for convicted killer Danelo Cavalcante this weekend after two more confirmed sightings of the escaped convict.

Local and federal law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Marshals Service, are also taking part in the search in Chester County for Cavalcante, the Chester County District Attorney's Office said in an update issued on Facebook Saturday.

Both confirmed sightings of Cavalcante were within the existing police search area, officials confirmed Saturday.

Cavalcante has eluded authorities for 10 days after escaping from Chester County Prison in West Chester, Pa., on Aug. 31.

The 34-year-old was serving a life sentence in prison without the possibility of parole for the 2021 stabbing death of his then ex-girlfriend, Deborah Brandao. Brandao's two young children were home at the time of the murder.

Cavalcante is also wanted in Brazil on murder charges stemming from 2017.

He was being held at the county jail while awaiting a transfer to a state prison when he escaped. The Chester County Prison is located near the state border with Delaware, about 30 miles west of Philadelphia.

Police consider him armed and extremely dangerous. They expanded the search area on Tuesday for the Brazilian national, who speaks both Spanish and Portuguese.

Authorities continue to search 24 hours a day, with almost 400 officers involved in the effort.

"My intent is to pressure him to try and contain him and capture him. He'll make a mistake. He'll become more desperate. He'll have to expose himself," Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens told reporters Friday.

There have been numerous confirmed sightings of Cavalcante since he escaped, with at least two taking place at Longwood Gardens, a botanical garden located less than 5 miles from the prison. Trail cameras at the garden have also picked up his image, causing the facility to close for security reasons.

A Pennsylvania state trooper on Wednesday spotted the 5-foot, 120-pound Cavalcante but lost sight of him.

Meanwhile, a veteran corrections officer who was on duty when Cavalcante escaped was fired this week, the District Attorney's Office confirmed on Friday.

The 18-year prison guard's name was not released.

Officials say Cavalcante "crab walked" up between two walls as part of his escape, which also saw him scale razor wire. His breakout had some similarities to a previous escape at the facility by a different inmate in May.

There is currently a $20,000 reward for information leading to his capture.