Chester County, PA – A two-week manhunt for escaped convict Danilo Cavalcante ended in a rural Philadelphia suburb, bringing relief to a community that had been living in fear. Cavalcante, a Brazilian national, had been serving a life sentence for murder when he made a daring escape from a Pennsylvania prison.
Cavalcante’s escape was a meticulously planned and executed operation. He managed to scale the prison walls and navigate through barbed wire, all while under the watchful eyes of prison guards and fellow inmates. His escape sparked a massive manhunt that involved hundreds of law enforcement officers, drones, helicopters, and even residential security cameras.
The escape and subsequent manhunt disrupted the lives of local residents. Businesses were temporarily shut down, farmers lost sleep over the possibility of the convict hiding on their property, and children were kept home from school. The fear was palpable, with residents locking their doors and windows and keeping their lights on at all times.
Cavalcante, who had been sentenced for the brutal murder of his ex-girlfriend, had previously fled Brazil after being implicated in a 2017 murder. His escape from Chester County Prison was not his first attempt at evading law enforcement. This time, however, he had to outsmart hundreds of officers from various agencies, including the FBI, DEA, and U.S. Border Patrol.
The manhunt was marked by several close calls. Cavalcante was spotted multiple times on residential surveillance cameras and even had a face-to-face encounter with a former coworker via a doorbell camera. Despite these sightings, he managed to elude capture for 13 days.
The manhunt ended near a tractor store, 18 miles from the prison. Cavalcante was found hiding in thick brush, surviving on watermelons from a nearby farm. He was apprehended by a police dog named Yoda, leaving him with a minor bite wound on his scalp.
Conclusion: Cavalcante is now back in custody and has been charged with a felony count of escape. His capture has brought relief to the community that had been living in fear for two weeks. The manhunt may have disrupted the tranquility of southeastern Pennsylvania, but it ended without any major injuries or incidents of gunfire.