USA, Pennsylvania. It is “desperate, dangerous and possibly stressful”. Danilo Cavalcanti has escaped from prison, and a manhunt is on

Last month, Cavalcanti was sentenced to life in prison for killing his ex-girlfriend. The US Marshals Service (a government agency that searches for prison escapees) is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to his capture.

Police had previously focused their efforts on a heavily wooded area within a 2-mile radius of Chester County Jail in West Chester. By Tuesday, the search area had expanded after Cavalcante was twice recorded by surveillance in nearby Longwood Gardens on Monday evening.

CCTV footage shows Cavalcanti walking through the bushes with a briefcase slung over his shoulder. He also appears in some clips wearing a dark-coloured jacket.

Robert Clarke, who oversees the US Marshals Task Force in eastern Pennsylvania, told CBS television that Cavalcanti was “desperate, dangerous and possibly exhausted”.

It probably moves at night, and during the day it hides in an area covered with thick vegetation. There are also many potential hiding places in the area, such as barns, which makes searches difficult.

In the search for Cavalcanti, officials are using thermal imaging technology, as well as drones and dogs. A federal arrest warrant was also obtained should he attempt to flee to Delaware or Maryland. Two school districts in the research area canceled classes on Tuesday.

On Monday, authorities began using helicopters and patrol cars to broadcast a message recorded by Cavalcante’s mother, who lives in Brazil, urging him to surrender.

“Although he was desperate, he may have changed his mind and heard his mother telling him to let it go and his family to take care of him,” Clark said on Monday.

Read also: “leg shackles, belly chain, handcuffs, and belt” didn’t help. A dangerous prisoner has escaped from the hospital