Theresa Payton, a security expert who has trained U.S. Marshals, explains the next steps in the manhunt to find the convicted murderer on the lam in Pennsylvania.
After a gymnastic escape from a jail in Pennsylvania, convicted murderer Danelo Cavalcante has been on the run from the law in rural southeastern Pennsylvania for 13 days. There have been multiple sightings of Cavalcante: On Monday night, he reportedly broke into a house, stole a 22-caliber rifle, and was shot at on his way out. But finding the Brazilian, who successfully escaped custody in his home country before coming to the United States, has been a stiff challenge for U.S. Marshals and local police. To get a better understanding of how the manhunt could unfold from here, I spoke with former White House chief information officer and security expert Theresa Payton, the former co-star of the TV show Hunted, who has trained U.S. Marshals on investigations.
What are some of the challenges for law enforcement in this search?
This is somebody who knows how to stay off the grid. Cavalcante committed a crime in Brazil, he escaped authorities there, and he created a new life for himself in the United States. So the typical modern-day intelligence techniques are going to be a little more challenging. He’s probably not going to try to use a burner phone, and he doesn’t seem to be using the internet. Because he is a former rancher, he knows how to live off the land, and he knows how to be resourceful.
