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| Danilo Cavalcanti |
The hunt for the escaped killer continues for the sixth day, and school districts in Pennsylvania are closed.
The chase for the escaped killer continues for a sixth day, leaving school districts on lockdown and the Pennsylvania community on edge.
State police said Tuesday that the chase for Danilo Cavalcanti, which has high-alert communities in southeastern Pennsylvania, has shifted after the fleeing killer was discovered just south of the original search area.
Cavalcanti escaped from the Chester County Jail Thursday morning, and authorities began combing a heavily wooded area in Bukobson, Chester County, two miles from the jail — a rural area about 30 miles west of Philadelphia.
Law enforcement expanded the search perimeter after a security camera caught Cavalcanti Monday night in the famous Botanical Gardens about 3 miles from the correctional facility.
"We believe it is just south of the (original search) radius, which is why we've changed that perimeter now to include that area," Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivins said during a news conference Tuesday.
Cavalcanti was spotted by a security camera on Monday at Longwood Gardens at 8:21 p.m. It was traveling north and was seen again at 9:33 p.m., heading south this time.
And while Cavalcanti's appearance hasn't changed, Bevins said he'd got a few items, including a backpack, "duffel-type bag," and a hoodie. Cavalcanti is described as a 5-foot-120-pound man with fair skin, tousled black hair, and brown eyes.
Longwood Gardens encompasses over 200 acres of "lush formal gardens, open lawns, and meandering pathways." The attraction was closed on Tuesday when police searched the property and surrounding area, with the air appearing hotter than the low 90s on the thermometer.
Cavalcanti (34 years old) was convicted of first-degree murder last August 16, after the murder of his ex-girlfriend, 33-year-old Deborah Brandao, in 2021. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Bivins said there were five "credible sightings" of Cavalcanti within the scope of the previous search.
"We think it's just south of the radius, and we've changed the circumference," Bivins said. Police are removing the northern end of the former perimeter and shifting the search area south of Route 1.
The Kennett Unified School District, about 9 miles from the jail, and Unionville's Chads Ford School District, about 5 miles from the jail, were closed on Tuesday.
Police issued a reverse 911 call Tuesday morning to residents within 3 miles of the area where Cavalcante was spotted. Authorities advised residents to keep their doors and cars closed, warning that Typhoon Cavalkanti is dangerous.
If his house had been near the search area, Bivins said, "even while I was at home, I would have locked my doors."
While the new search area is more open than the police had previously focused on, Bevins said Cavalcante could be hiding in plenty of places.
There are about 200 to 250 people on the ground at any given time to assist in the search. The police are trying to pressure the prisoner, who they believe seized an opportunity to get out of prison and is now "taking it."
"You're dealing with someone desperate and doesn't want to be caught," Bivins said.
Ryan Drummond, of Bukobson, told CNN affiliate WPVI that he believes he saw Cavalcante inside his home. Drummond said he got up to investigate after hearing noises from downstairs around 11:45 p.m. Friday.
"What I decided to do was turn the light switch on and off three or four or five times, pause, and then he turned on the light switch from downstairs three or four times, and that was a moment, like, 'Oh my God,' Drummond said, 'that guy's over there. ".
Drummond said he then watched Cavalcante leave his house and eat. Drummond said the US Marshals returned home Sunday and searched the woods beside his property.
Cavalcanti was spotted again on surveillance camera shortly after midnight Sunday about 1.5 miles from the jail, the Chester County Prosecutor's Office said in a Facebook post-Saturday morning — and police received a report of an attempted robbery Sunday in the nearby town of Bukobson. says the Facebook post.
One of the state troopers also saw Cavalcanti in the area, Bivins said during a news conference on Monday.
"We can't stop living our lives," says the salon owner.
Hair salon owner Amy Young Wilson said Tuesday it's business as usual. As the cars raced past their work
A busy main artery in Chester County, you'd never know before just a few hours, you'd spot an escaped prisoner in the famous Botanic Garden.
"Our writers are very quiet today," Young Wilson reported. "It's so crazy. I am trying to understand how someone can stay on the run for so long.
Young Wilson said she is not afraid but remains alert. However, she hasn't seen anything out of the ordinary. Her salon, Fa Shears, is closed on Sundays and Mondays, so Tuesday was her first day back.
"Everyone is worried because here, it's dangerous, and many elderly people live in the area," she said. "But we can't shut down. We can't stop living our lives."
Jennifer Briggs and her family live in the Bukobson Township area, about 1.5 miles from the Chester County Jail.
Briggs has a 4-year-old who works in kindergarten. He just started classes at Bokobson Primary School last week. The family received a 5 a.m. notification from the school district that classes would be virtual on Tuesday.
"It's a little bit concerning," Briggs told CNN.
Briggs said that the wooded area the authorities were searching in belonged to the family's neighborhood, noting that there were several walking paths through the woods, including one that circled the prison.
"There was a lot of helicopter activity, which is a little bit unnerving, with young children," Briggs added. She said she kept her children indoors and had them sleep in her bedroom at night with closed doors.
After some nearby houses were looted, the police searched vehicles in the neighborhood for about two days. "They had a command post at the entrance to our neighborhood. There is only one way in and one way out," Briggs said.
Briggs said police searched her car on Saturday afternoon.
"Anytime you left, they would search your car to make sure he wasn't in the car," she said. "My kids were in the car with me, so that was probably the most worrying moment."
Staff are also taking extra precautions, said Nancy Sanchez, manager of GuGu Asian Table Restaurant in nearby Kennett Square.
"We allow our younger workers and women to park near the building, not in the back of the parking lot, so that the security camera can watch. We have lighting, so they're not afraid," Sanchez told CNN.
Sanchez said the back door to their basement, which they usually keep open for deliveries, is now closed.
Briggs said her family recently moved to the Bukobson Township area of Atlanta, partly because they had heard of the area's safety.
"The big question I think everyone is asking now is how did he escape?" Briggs said. "Could this happen again? How could they not have caught him?"
School districts are closed.
Due to the ongoing search, the Kennett Unified School District and the Unionville-Chad Ford School District are closed on Tuesday.
"We were informed by law enforcement early this morning that the search situation has evolved and, out of an abundance of caution, schools and offices will be closed today," said the Kennett Unified School District superintendent.
The district has received information that the status of the escaped prisoner has changed. The Unionville-Chadds Ford School District announced that schools and offices are closed today, and the district will operate a flexible instruction day (online, offline, or a combination of both).
Hundreds of law enforcement officers, including US Marshals, local and state agencies, and others, have been deployed to assist in the search. ON TUESDAY, the US Department of Defense said that additional federal agencies, including the FBI and US Customs Border Patrol, have now sent resources to the Chester County area.
Robert Clarke, deputy superintendent US Marshal for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, said during a news conference on Monday that police, using a helicopter and patrol cars, tried to broadcast a message in Portuguese from Cavalcante's mother encouraging him to surrender.
Clark added that Cavalcante is also wanted in a 2017 murder case in Brazil, which led to his fleeing the country. Authorities said they were looking into whether Cavalcante had internal help to escape.
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