Escaped Pennsylvania Killer Captured: How Heat Technology and a Border Patrol Dog Ended a 2-Week Manhunt
Murderer
Danelo Cavalcante managed to escape before being apprehended on
Wednesday morning, according to police, who used thermal heat technology
to track him down from an aeroplane until a U.S. Border Patrol tactical
unit dog finally managed to pin him down.
Cavalcante, a
34-year-old convicted murderer who escaped from prison on August 31, was
brought in a convoy to the Avondale State Police barracks where he
arrived shortly before 9 a.m. wrapped in a foil blanket, according to
Pennsylvania State Police's Lt. Col. George Bivens.
A small dog bite was the only severe injury he had, according to Bivens.
At 8:18 a.m., Cavalcante was taken into arrest, according to Chester County officers, who were heard on a public radio call.
Chester
County government, radio stations, and other organisations are all
working on the prisoner's escape. I'm happy to report that the
individual is in police custody. Reiterating, suspect is in custody, an
officer from Chester County declared.
One day after police established an eight to ten square mile perimeter in northern Chester County, the arrest takes place.
Bivens
reported that just after midnight on Tuesday, a burglar alarm went off
at a house inside the perimeter. It was inspected, but Cavalcante was
not found there.
Around one in the morning, a tracking aircraft picked up a heat signal, and tactical teams flocked to the area.
According
to Bivens, a thunderstorm with lightning forced the plane to flee the
region and temporarily halted the tracking operation. He stated tactical
personnel held the location overnight while waiting for planes to
arrive.
The tactical teams arrived to the heat source in a
forested area west of PA 100 on Wednesday just after 8 a.m. with "the
element of surprise," according to Bivens.
Until that moment,
Cavalcante was unaware that he was being surrounded, according to
Bivens. Cavalcante still had a.22 calibre weapon that he had taken, the
man stated, adding that Cavalcante "began to crawl through thick
underbrush, taking his rifle with him."
Cavalcante was eventually
subdued by a dog that was on the scene with the Border Patrol Tactical
Unit before the team from BORTAC and Pennsylvania State Police went in.
He resisted being brought into prison, but no one was hurt, according to Bivens.
Cavalcante
was transferred to the Avondale station for additional processing and
questioning after medical staff examined the bite. Later on, he will be
sent to a state prison to carry out his life sentence.
"It is a
true pleasure to stand here this morning and talk to all of you about
bringing this manhunt to a successful conclusion and without getting
anyone else hurt, most importantly," said Bivens.
Following reports of sightings of Cavalcante on Monday night, the arrest occurs today.
Responding
teams discovered the man's jail shoes after a driver reported seeing
him crouching in the woods along the south side of Fairview Road, west
of Route 100.
The same night, a homeowner called to report
shooting Cavalcante after catching him stealing a rifle from the garage.
According to police, the prisoner was uninjured in the encounter.
PA 23 to the north, PA 100 to the east, Fairview to the south, and County Park Road to the west made up the boundary.
Surveillance
footage revealed that the 5-foot-2, 120-pound Cavalcante stretched
himself between two parallel walls during his escape in order to reach
the roof of Chester County Prison in Pocopson Township and managed to
elude the watchtower guard.
A county spokeswoman reported that a
guard with 18 years of experience who failed to notice Cavalcante's
escape has subsequently been sacked. According to the county
representative, the unnamed guard violated Chester County Prison rules
by using a mobile while in the tower.
Cavalcante's capture,
according to a statement released by Chester County Commissioners on
Wednesday, "ends the nightmare of the past two weeks," and they
expressed their gratitude to the several law enforcement agencies that
mobilised to find him.
The county's prison officials, according
to the commissioners Marian Moskowitz, Josh Maxwell, and Michelle
Kichline, have "some immediate changes to bolster security," have hired
security contractors to make permanent changes to the exercise yards,
and are reviewing changing procedures for security measures and
communication to nearby residents.
On August 16, Cavalcante was
found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of his 33-year-old
ex-girlfriend. He received a life sentence without the chance of
release.
In relation to a murder that occurred in his home Brazil in 2017, he is also wanted there.
Police
claimed they were convinced they had Cavalcante cornered despite the
fact that he had been on the run for many days. They also appealed for
the public's patience.
Both sides of the search were probably slowed down by the highly forested region where police had been seeking for Cavalcante.
Images of the escapee have revealed that he was able to shave and change clothing while he was outdoors.
During
the manhunt, certain neighbourhood schools and a botanical garden were
closed. At one point, police helicopters and patrol vehicles in the
region broadcast audio of Cavalcante's mother pleading with her son to
turn himself in.
According to a prosecutor, Cavalcante's escape compelled police to offer his victim's family round-the-clock security.
Despite
a guarded, round-the-clock police presence, the victim's loved ones
were "terrified" by Cavalcante's escape and "barricaded" themselves
inside their house, according to Chester County District Attorney Deb
Ryan.
This story is still developing. Please return to this page for updates.
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