Two school districts near Philadelphia closed campuses on Tuesday as police search for an escaped murderer hiding in the woods, but who continues to be spotted on surveillance cameras, authorities said.
The latest images of Danelo Cavalcante, a 34-year-old killer who slipped out of custody on Thursday, were captured on a trail camera at Longwood Gardens in Chester County on Monday night, officials said.
“I am confident that he will slip up. He did here, he walked into a trial cam, didn’t know it,” state police Lt. Col. George Bivens told reporters Tuesday.
Sept. 5, 202302:52
With Cavalcante still on the lam, the Unionville-Chadds Ford and Kennett Consolidated School Districts both said there will be no on-campus instruction on Tuesday.
The Unionville-Chadds Ford School District told students to check in with teachers via Google Meet on Tuesday morning, in advance of their “Flexible Instructional Day (FID).”
The Kennett Consolidated School District announced that all campuses and offices will be closed on Tuesday “out of an abundance of caution.”
Cavalcante is also wanted for a murder case in his native Brazil and police have recorded a message from his mother in Portuguese, pleading with her son to surrender.
Helicopters and police cars patrolling the search areas are blasting that audio in hopes Cavalcante hears it and heeds his mom’s advice, officials said.
Investigators are in contact with multiple loved ones and friends of the escapee, hoping to unearth any clue about where Cavalcante might be hiding or seeking to go.
“Rest assured that any family, friends, associates, contacts even from jail, we have run all of those things out and and we continue to run those out looking for anything that might be helpful,” Bivens said.
Searchers are struggling to navigate the thick terrain where they believe Cavalcante is hiding.
“What you have are significant parcels of wooded area with a lot of undergrowth, so thick that our searchers can’t be more than a couple of yards apart, where at times they lose sight of one another,” Bivens said.
“There are a lot places that someone can hide.”
In the latest images of Cavalcante, he has not done anything to significantly change his appearance, police said.
But he has picked up a backpack, “sling-type duffle bag” and a hooded sweat shirt since escaping, Bivens said.
Investigators believe Cavalcante broke into a car or home to get those supplies.
“He’s clearly in escape mode and he’s desperate,” Bivens said.”
So in the meantime, police are reminding residents within several miles of the Chester County Prison in Pocopson Township to lock cars and all other doors, especially of outhouses, supply sheds and other buildings outside their main homes.
“It is important we keep pressure on him as we continue this hunt,” Bivens said. “We pressure him to not allow him the luxury of rest.”
Cavalcante was convicted of first-degree murder on Aug. 16 for fatally stabbing a 33-year-old former girlfriend and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
