Prison guard misses fired killer’s escape, as hunt for fugitive focuses on botanical garden

Lt. Col. George Vivens, front, speaks during a media tour, at the Po-Mar-Lin Fire Company, which is serving as the Incident Command Center for the ongoing intergovernmental manhunt escaped prisoner Danelo Cavalcante, of Unionville, Pa., Friday, Sept. 8, 2023. (Jessica Griffin/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)

WEST CHESTER, Pa. (AP) – A prison tower guard has been fired after a murderer fled in a brazen daylight escape, officials said Friday, as the search lasted nine days conducted among the suburban, farmland areas of southeast Philadelphia. and a large botanical garden.

News of the shooting came as search crews swelled overnight, focusing on the area around Longwood Gardens, where the escaped prisoner had previously been spotted.

Danelo Souza Cavalcante, 34, escaped while awaiting transfer to state prison on Aug. 31 after being sentenced to life in prison for stabbing his ex-girlfriend to death in 2021. Prosecutors said he wanted to stop her from telling police that he was wanted for a murder in his home country of Brazil.

Authorities have described Cavalcante as extremely dangerous. As the search entered its second week, worried residents remained vigilant for any sign of him. Police believe Cavalcante has been spotted nine times since his escape, most recently on Thursday night, and had his clothes and other items taken.

The Chester County Jail’s county guard was fired Thursday after 18 years as a correctional officer, county spokeswoman Michelle Bjork said. He was on duty at the watchtower when Cavalcante scaled the wall by ascending from the recreation yard, climbing over barbed wire, running across a roof and jumping to the ground.

Cavalcante’s escape went undetected for more than an hour until guards counted the men. The guard, who was placed on administrative leave after the escape, also had his personal cell phone with him at the time, a violation of prison regulations, Bjork said.

The spokeswoman said she did not know the specific reason for the shooting and could not provide further details about what the guard was doing as Cavalcante escaped.

District officials said the watchtower guard should have seen Cavalcante trying to escape, but apparently did not, and they did not explain why he did not see or stop Cavalcante, including including whether he was using his cell phone and distracted.

Cavalcante eluded hundreds of law enforcement officers, including tracking dogs, fully equipped tactical teams, mounted police and helicopters in southwest Philadelphia.

On Friday, the search team grew to its largest size of about 400 people, Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens told reporters at a command post.

Longwood Gardens has been closed indefinitely after reports that Cavalcante may once again be spotted on the property. People who stayed there overnight on Thursday were told to shelter in place as police searched part of the garden.

The botanical garden, spread over nearly 200 acres (80 hectares), is generally open to the public with paths winding through the garden, amphitheater, ponds, fountains and meadows, with The project includes an indoor garden, tree house and restaurant.

State police said there may have been a sighting of Cavalcante Thursday night but further details were not released. Hours later another person reported seeing Cavalcante in another part of the vast botanical garden. On Monday night, surveillance cameras on a trail recorded him walking through its grounds.

There is currently a $20,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.

The escape and search attracted international attention and became big news in Brazil. The main newspaper in Rio de Janeiro published a long story Wednesday with the headline “Dangerous game of hide-and-seek.”