Video shows how convicted killer Danelo Cavalcante escaped Chester County prison

The daughter of Danelo Cavalcante’s victim told police that he showed up at their house and said he was going to do “something bad to their lives”, according to an affidavit.

The seven-year-old daughter of Deborah Brandao told police that he “pulled two knives out from a black bag that was behind his back”.

She started screaming and Cavalcante hit her with a rock, police wrote in the affidavit.

Cavalcante is also a suspect in a 2017 homicide case in Brazil, according to US Marshals Service.

Chester County Prison acting warden Howard Holland said that Cavalcante’s jailbreak was similar to another inmate’s escape back in May. During that incident, a tower officer immediately reported the situation to prison staff and the inmate was apprehended within minutes.

In Cavalcante’s case, his absence was not noticed for nearly an hour.

“While we believed that the security measures we had in place were sufficient, they have proven otherwise,” Mr Holland said. “And we will work to enhance our security … One key difference in [this] escape is the role of the tower officer whose primary responsibility is to oversee the inmate in the exercise yard.”

The state’s attorney’s office is now investigating the jailbreak. Mr Holland said that the actions of the tower officer, who is on administrative leave, are part of the probe and that appropriate action will be taken against personnel based on the results of the investigation.

A Pennsylvania man has opened up about the terrifying moment an escaped murder convict Danelo Cavalcante apparently broke into his home while his family was sleeping.

Law enforcement initially set up a two-mile perimeter around a wooded area where Cavalcante was believed to be hiding, but the search was expanded after Cavalcante was caught on trail camera sneaking past the perimeter on Monday. Schools in the district have been closed, and authorities have urged residents to remain aware of their surroundings and secure their homes from the killer.

West Chester resident Ryan Drummond claimed in an interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer that one of Cavalcante’s confirmed sightings occurred at his home. Mr Drummond said that he woke up to noises downstairs on 1 September and realised that there was an intruder.

“I decided not to confront him and thought it was a better move to flick the light switch,” Mr Drummond, whose wife and children were also in the home, told the Inquirer. “And he flicked it back at me, which was terrifying, so I told my wife to call 911.”

At a press conference on Wednesday, state police said that Cavalcante managed to escape from Chester County Prison by jumping onto the facility’s roof from an exercise yard.

Surveillance video shows Cavalcante crawling up a wall before he disappears from the frame.

Authorities are facing mounting questions over two escapes by Danelo Cavalcante – one from prison and a second from a search perimeter.

Danelo Cavalcante remains on the run nearly a week after the convicted murderer managed to escape Chester County Prison on 31 August. The jailbreak has prompted a full-scale manhunt and local school closures after officials confirmed that Cavalcante snuck past the initial two-mile search perimeter.

District Attorney Deb Ryan said the incident was under investigation but declined to elaborate on how Cavalcante — who was recently sentenced to life for murdering his former girlfriend — was able to bypass security at the correctional facility.

Police sources who spoke to The Philadelphia Inquirer under the condition of anonymity have now shed light on the circumstances surrounding the 34-year-old’s escape. According to a law enforcement official with knowledge of the escape, Cavalcante climbed onto the prison’s roof from one of the exercise yards.

A Pennsylvania man has opened up about the terrifying moment an escaped murder convict Danelo Cavalcante apparently broke into his home while his family was sleeping.

Cavalcante was last spotted near Chandler Road in Pennsbury Township on Tuesday evening. Local and federal law enforcement agencies searched the area for hours but were not able to locate him.

Lt Col George Bivens said that search units were experiencing challenges while canvassing the vast wooded area where Cavalcante is believed to be hiding. A K-9 unit had to be hospitalised on Tuesday, Mr Bivens said, after suffering a heat-related medical incident.

“I don’t think he has more ability than we initially gave him credit for, I think it’s a very challenging area,” Mr Bivens said. “We have had some searches like this in the past … some take hours, some take days, some take months.”

Pennsylvania State Lt Col George Bivens said on Wednesday that Cavalcante had some experience hiding and surviving in the woods from growing up in his native Brazil.

However, Mr Biven said that he was confident the manhunt was “wearing Cavalcante down.”

“Despite the location, the background a person comes from. These are hot, humid temperatures. He has no regular means of obtaining food other than if he’s able to break in someplace or scavenge something,” Mr Bivens said. “So it’s a difficult experience … that is going to definitely take its toll.”

The daughter of Danelo Cavalcante’s victim told police that he showed up at their house and said he was going to do “something bad to their lives”, according to an affidavit.

The seven-year-old daughter of Deborah Brandao told police that he “pulled two knives out from a black bag that was behind his back”.

She started screaming and Cavalcante hit her with a rock, police wrote in the affidavit.

Cavalcante is also a suspect in a 2017 homicide case in Brazil, according to US Marshals Service.