Schools close amid hunt for escaped inmate convicted of murder

A hunt for an escaped inmate who was convicted of murder prompted school closures Tuesday in Pennsylvania as the search area narrows following multiple credible sightings of the fugitive. 

Danelo Cavalcante, 34, has been on the run since Thursday morning, when he escaped from Chester County Prison, according to a local ABC affiliate.

The Unionville-Chadds Ford School District and the Kennett Consolidated School District, both in southeast Pennsylvania bordering Delaware, announced that schools would be closed for in-person classes Tuesday out of an abundance of caution.

Officials said four credible sightings of Cavalcante have been reported near Pennsylvania state highways since his escape.

Helicopters flying over the search area are broadcasting a recording of Cavalcante's mother's voice "in an effort to facilitate his peaceful surrender," Lt. Col. George Bivens, the Pennsylvania State Police deputy commissioner of operations, said. 

Not all schools in the area are closing, however. West Chester University, which is located less than 6 miles from the prison that Cavalcante escaped from, said it would remain open Tuesday.

"Authorities believe that they are closing in on Cavalcante within a one to two-mile radius of the prison," the school said. 

A jury convicted Cavalcante of first-degree murder on Aug. 16 after 15 minutes of deliberation. Cavalcante was accused of fatally stabbing his former girlfriend, Deborah Brandao, 38 times while her two young children were present in 2021 in Schuylkill Township.

At the time of Brandao's murder, Cavalcante had an active warrant for his arrest in his native country of Brazil for an alleged murder that took place in 2017, District Attorney Deb Ryan said.

Immigration officials told Fox News Digital that they are unsure when Cavalcante entered the United States but that he was not "inspected or admitted by a U.S. immigration official."

Residents of Pocopson Township are advised to remain inside and lock their doors as the search continues. 

"He is still considered an extremely dangerous individual," Ryan said.

Follow Madeleine Hubbard on X or Instagram.