The investigation into the death of a Super Bowl reporter found deceased in his hotel room is ongoing. Authorities are trying to determine if he was possibly given drugs before his death.
Meanwhile, a “career criminal” – with a history of accusations of drugging then robbing men – who visited his room on the night has been arrested.
Sports reporter Adan Manzano, 27, was last seen alive returning to his hotel with Danette Colbert, 48, on Wednesday morning after a night out.
He had been sent to cover the Super Bowl for the third year in a row by Telemundo Kansas City and Tico Sports.
The journalist, named Adan, was discovered lifeless in his hotel room in Kenner, located 13 miles from New Orleans, after his television network raised concerns about his absence from work.
Tragically, he leaves behind an orphaned young daughter after his wife died in a car accident last year.
Adan’s cause of death has not been revealed, and the authorities said there were no signs of obvious trauma to his body.
Law enforcement personnel have stated that it will take approximately three to four weeks to uncover the actual circumstances of the events that transpired on that fateful Wednesday. There is also a possibility that Danette, another individual involved, could face more severe legal consequences.
So far, she has been charged on counts of fraud and theft.
Police said her historic arrest record includes allegations of drugging men, theft of currency, fraudulent use of credit and debit cards, and other financial crimes.
Deputy Chief Mark McCormick told the New York Post that they are waiting for toxicology reports from the coroner.
He said: “Everything hinges on that one point.
“Until we get that information there won’t be any basis for more enhanced charges involving Danette Colbert.”
In the hours before his death, Adan got back to his hotel room around 5 am on Wednesday with Danette.
Chilling footage shows the final moments of his life, after returning from a night out, and Danette leaving the reporter’s room alone about an hour later.
She was arrested on Thursday evening after allegedly using Adan’s credit card, which was traced through the hotel’s records, at stores around New Orleans.
The charges against her are for fraud and theft, according to the Kenner Police Department.
KPD Chief Keith Conley said cops found Adan’s credit card and phone in Colbert’s home in Slidell, about 33 miles north of New Orleans.
They also discovered narcotics and a stolen firearm in her home – but these have not been connected to Adan’s death.
No drugs or contraband was found in Adan’s hotel room.
DARK CRIMINAL PAST
This isn’t Colbert’s first run-in with the law.
She’s been arrested numerous time – including on allegations of drugging men – in New Orleans, Las Vegas, and Nashville.
Conley said Danette has been “stopped quite frequently in the French Quarter and is known for these fraud schemes.”
He added: “She plays a confidence game. She’s definitely a career criminal.”
‘BOURBON STREET HUSTLER’
New Orleans locals even identified Danette as the “Bourbon Street hustler” in a post about a previous arrest in 2022, according to the Daily Mail.
Conley said this is a warning that people should be careful about visiting major cities like New Orleans, even though the city has been beefed up with security measures ahead of Sunday’s big game.
“This brings to light that there are people out there that prey on other people and bring them into their confidence and victimize them,” Conley said at a press conference on Friday.
“These are the kind of things that can happen if you’re out in any city by yourself. It’s a major concern.
“Whenever you have a major event like the [Super Bowl] you get these traveling criminals that come in and find victims, so it’s something that people should be aware of.”
STRING OF ARRESTS
Colbert’s arrest record dates back to 2014, when police issued an urgent appeal for information about her.
The New Orleans Police Department released a surveillance pic of Colbert after she allegedly stole a man’s Rolex watch, his credit cards, and $100 in cash from his hotel room, reported ABC affiliate WGNO.
In January 2022, she was arrested by Las Vegas police and charged with drugging a man and stealing $50,000 in cash, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The victim told police he had invited two women he met in a bar to his hotel room, according to an arrest report.
He woke up with a bloody nose in his room and found $50,000 cash, a Rolex watch worth $30,000, $11,000 in casino chips, his iPhone 11, a Louis Vuitton luggage bag worth $5,000, and a satchel valued at $2,000 were all missing.
“He believes he may have been drugged,” police said at the time.
Colbert was seen leaving the man’s room alone carrying a large black bag, cops said citing hotel surveillance footage.
Colbert denied drugging the man and claimed the bag was given to her.
She was also arrested in August 2022 for allegedly driving nearly 100 miles per hour in a south Las Vegas school zone.
The Ford Mustang was allegedly clocked at nearly four times the posted school zone limit of 25 mph, reported NBC affiliate 3 News.
TRAGIC LOSS
Manzano’s death came months after his beloved wife, Ashleigh LeeAnn Boyd, 24, died in a car crash in Topeka.
She worked as an elementary school teacher and died in a two-vehicle, head-on crash on April 11, CBS affiliate WIBW reported.
The couple’s orphaned child – who was reportedly seriously injured in the crash – was just 15 months old when her mom died.
Manzano died while covering his third Super Bowl for Kansas City’s Telemundo affiliate KGKC.
He’d also joined the Chiefs television crew at the beginning of the 2024 season as a sideline reporter.
Originally from Mexico City, he moved to Topeka, Kansas, in 2018 and went on to graduate from Kansas State University.
Manzano fell in love with American football and took great pride in sharing the stories of people from different backgrounds.
Tragically, in one of his final posts on Facebook, Manzano shared a family picture of his beloved wife and young daughter as they celebrated their daughter’s first birthday a year before his death.
“Rest in peace, my friend. See you in eternity,” wrote one person under KGKC’s Instagram tribute.
Tico Sports’ official statement on the death of Adan Manzano
Adan Manzano was found dead in his hotel room in New Orleans on February 5.
The 27-year-old reporter for Kansas City’s Telemundo affiliate KGKC-LD was in Nola covering the Super Bowl when he died.
Tico Sports wrote in a tribute, “It is with a heavy heart that we can confirm the death of Adan Manzano Aguilar while in New Orleans on assignment for Telemundo Kansas City, and as a member of our Tico Sports Spanish broadcast team.
“We are cooperating with law enforcement as they are investigating this tragic event.
“Adan was a talented and professional broadcaster, providing sideline coverage for the Kansas City Chiefs Spanish broadcast and play-by-play caller for the KC Current.
“He was an enthusiastic and energetic team player who was well-liked and respected.
“Adan was a devoted father to his young daughter, a helpful colleague, and loyal friend.
“He will be greatly missed by our Tico family and will live on in our hearts and memories.”
