Killer Danelo Cavalcante Captured By Police Nearly 2 Weeks After Escaping Pennsylvania Prison

Danelo Cavalcante is no longer on the run after being captured by authorities.

Officials confirmed on Sept. 13 that the 34-year-old—whose escape from Pennsylvania's Chester County Prison on Aug. 31 left the community on edge—is currently in police custody after being found under a pile of logs in South Coventry Township.

During a press conference, Lt. Col. George Bivens shared how officials discovered Cavalcante after a two-week manhunt, noting they picked up a heat signal early Sept. 13 that they began to track.

"Tactical teams began to converge on that location where the heat source was moving," he shared, adding that due to weather, they decided to secure the area until they could bring additional resources in for assistance. "That resumed early this morning and shortly after 8 a.m. tactical teams converged on the area where the heat source was. They were able to move in very quietly, they had the element of surprise."

Bivens said that Cavalcante—was convicted of first-degree murder on Aug. 16 for fatally stabbing his former girlfriend and subsequently sentenced to life in prison without parole—didn't realize at first that he was surrounded. But when he did, he tried to escape and began to crawl under "thick underbrush" with a rifle.  

According to Bivens, one of the Customs and Border Control teams had a dog with them who was able to subdue Cavalcante as officials moved in and surrounded him.

"He continued to resist," Bivens said, "but was forcibly taken into custody. No one was injured as a result of that. He did sustain a minor bite wound, we had medical personnel at the scene and they took a look at that."

Afterwards, Cavalcante was transported to Pennsylvania's Avondale station for further processing and interviews.

"He will ultimately be transferred to a state correctional institute," Bivens noted, "where he will be housed and begin to serve his life sentence."