State Police warn Danelo Cavalcante’s friends and relatives not to assist him as search moves to a new area

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Law enforcement officials searching for escaped murderer Danelo Cavalcante said Monday that they are prepared for the “long game,” after the elusive fugitive slipped past a secure perimeter set up to capture him near Longwood Gardens over the weekend and traveled nearly an hour away in a stolen van.

There were no new sightings of Cavalcante, 34, after he stole a van from a dairy farm near Longwood Gardens late Saturday and went to the homes of two former coworkers, according to Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens. The vehicle was recovered hours later, abandoned 20 miles away in East Nantmeal Township, where police were focusing their search for Cavalcante on Monday.

And though the coworkers Cavalcante attempted to contact immediately alerted police, Bivens gave a stern warning to anyone in the area who may be tempted to help Cavalcante elude police.

» READ MORE: Live Updates on the search for Danelo Cavalcante

“We will prosecute you fully for those actions,” Bivens said. “Alternatively, I would suggest you are in a position to facilitate the safe capture of Cavalcante.”

That warning came a day after Bivens announced the arrest of Cavalcante’s sister, Eleni, on an immigration detainer. Bivens declined to say whether she, or any other relatives, had assisted her brother since his escape. But he said she had refused to help law enforcement in their search.

“Her arrest was because she is an overstay [on a visa], and that was a process that would play out for anyone in that same circumstance,” Bivens said. “She has failed to cooperate, and there was no value in law enforcement keeping her here at this point.”

Bivens noted that anyone with information leading to the arrest of Cavalcante could be eligible for a reward of $25,000.

Cavalcante, a Brazilian national convicted last month of killing his ex-girlfriend in Schuylkill Township, escaped from the Chester County Prison on Aug. 31 by scaling a narrow wall in the facility’s exercise yard.

» READ MORE: Chester County Prison fugitive escaped using similar method as an inmate who fled in May, source says

In the intervening days, he was spotted several times near Longwood Gardens, and authorities had closed in on a small patch of woods on the property late Friday. But Cavalcante broke through and traveled north, Bivens said, visiting a former coworker in East Pikeland Township — an interaction captured on a Ring doorbell camera.

Despite Cavalcante’s escape from the initial search area, Bivens said he still believed the fugitive remained in Chester County and lacked the resources and ability to leave the state.

U.S. Marshals Supervisory Deputy Agent Robert Clark said Monday that while Cavalcante initially held the advantage in what he called “a tactical game of cat-and-mouse,” that advantage has shifted to the Marshals as Cavalcante has moved to a new area.

“He was in an eight-square-mile area with very difficult terrain that was very difficult to get to,” Clark said, ”and there were some weaknesses in the perimeter.” Clark noted that Cavalcante was able to elude his pursuers due to a number of obstacles in the search area near Longwood, including tunnels, ravines, and thick vegetations.

Cavalcante’s former coworker in East Pikeland told police he not heard from him in some time — Bivens characterized them more as acquaintances than friends. Though Bivens declined to provide footage from the Ring camera, he summarized the conversation the men had in Portuguese, saying Cavalcante repeatedly asked the coworker to arrange a meeting between the two of them.

» READ MORE: Danelo Cavalcante sightings: Map shows where escaped prisoner was seen last

That request, Bivens said, reinforces his belief that Cavalcante is growing worried and reaching out to anyone he knows for help while he is on the run.

“It’s fair to say what I’ve been saying all along: He needs additional help, he needs resources for the long run, and he is seeking those,” Bivens said.

That coworker, who authorities say wasn’t home but spoke with Cavalcante through an app on his smartphone, declined to help the escapee and contacted local police, who opened an investigation. However, information about the conversation was not relayed to state police until more than two hours later, delaying their response to it, according to Bivens.

Law enforcement officials ask that anyone with information on Cavalcante call 911 or the state police tip line at 717-562-2987.

“I know this is an extremely stressful time for the community,” Bivens said. “We are doing everything possible to bring this to a successful resolution as quickly as possible.”