Sports reporter Adan Manzano was in New Orleans to cover the Super Bowl only to meet his untimely fate in a hotel room at the hands of a woman with a history of drugging men. He was only 27 years old.
The police arrested the woman in question two days after Manzano’s murder after they found her using his credit card.
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More about Adan Manzano
Manzano, based in Topeka, Kansas, is a sports reporter for Telemundo Kansas City and Tico Sports. He was working his third Super Bowl and Telemundo Kansas City dubbed him “a true professional and a rising star.”
The events surrounding his death
Manzano was in his hotel room on Wednesday, having entered a comfort suite with “career criminal” Danette Colbert, 48, at around 4:30 am.
Security footage showed that Colbert left the room shortly after and then came back again, then left again with no return at around 6:00 am. Manzano’s cause of death has not been revealed yet.
Kenner Police Chief weighed in
Police are still investigating the incident. Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley said that what made the investigators suspect foul play was that Manzano was found without his wallet that he used to check into the hotel.
Colbert was arrested Thursday night but only faces property crime charges for the time being but her charges could be upgraded upon the release of the coroner’s findings.
More about Colbert’s role
Colbert had an illegal firearm and drugs when she was arrested. However, the chief confirmed that the gun was not tied to the murder, but neither confirmed nor denied the involvement of drugs. “She plays a confidence game,” said Conley.
Her colorful history
According to the Daily Mail, Colbert was arrested for drugging a man and stealing $50,000 from him on the Las Vegas Strip.
In January 2022 after her arrest, she denied the allegations, but she was brought back in May and July on similar allegations. Her victims, unlike Manzano, didn’t die from her drugging.
These weren’t her only crimes
DailyMail added that Colbert was arrested for allegedly driving 100 mph near a school in Nevada in August 2022. Also, Conley added that she was arrested the following year in New Orleans for drugging someone.
Manzano’s last days
Manzano was going on with his job as normal in the first half of the week interviewing NFL superstars, including Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes.
But after his death, he did not show up to work events as expected, and that’s how they found out he was dead.
Many question marks were left unanswered
The Jefferson Parish Coroner’s Office is still waiting on test results and hasn’t said anything yet about whether he was indeed drugged or not.
According to Nola.com, authorities said there were no signs of obvious trauma to his body.
Tributes came pouring in
“We will deeply miss Adan, his passion for sports and the contributions he made to the local community,” his station said in a statement on Facebook.
Last year, Manzano lost his wife to a car accident and after his death, he left behind a 2-year-old orphaned daughter.
Conley issued a warning
“This brings to light that there are people out there that prey on other people and bring them into their confidence and victimize them. I know that whenever you have a major event like the Super Bowl, you get these traveling criminals that come in and, you know, find victims,” he explained.
