A woman with an arrest record that includes allegations of drugging men and theft has been arrested in connection with the death of a Kansas City sports reporter on assignment to cover the Super Bowl in New Orleans.
Adan Manzano, 27, was found unresponsive in his Comfort Suites hotel room in Kenner, La., officials said earlier this week.
Danette Colbert, of Slidell, La., was arrested by Kenner police, officials said in a news release. Colbert was arrested and was being held in New Orleans.
Authorities said when she is processed in Kenner, she would be charged with simple robbery, access device fraud, illegal transmission of monetary funds, bank fraud, and computer fraud, as the investigation continues.
There was no indication that Colbert worked with anyone else, Kenner Police Deputy Chief Mark McCormick said.
Security video at Manzano’s hotel allegedly showed Colbert with Manzano on the day of his death between 4:30 a.m. and 5 a.m.
Colbert is allegedly seen leaving shortly after.
The accused allegedly used Manzano’s credit card at several stores in the New Orleans area. Colbert used Manzano’s card as recently as 7 a.m. Wednesday, McCormick said.
A search warrant was executed at Colbert’s home and Manzano’s cellphone and credit card were allegedly recovered along with an illegal firearm and narcotics.
Colbert might also face criminal charges in nearby St. Tammany Parish for those items, McCormick said.
Manzano was in town covering his third Super Bowl for Telemundo and Tico Sports, a multimedia production company that broadcasts Chiefs games in Spanish.
His death comes less than a year after the death of his wife, Ashleigh Boyd, who was a teacher.
The couple is survived by their toddler daughter.
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Manzano’s initial autopsy results found no obvious signs of trauma, according to the Jefferson Parish coroner’s office. They said the results of the toxicology tests will take several weeks.
The accused allegedly has a history of drugging men, theft of currency, and fraudulent credit and debit card use.
She has at least three prior cases where similar fraudulent behavior is alleged, McCormick said.
One such alleged case happened in Jefferson Parish in 2020 and another in Nevada in 2022, McCormick said.
Kenner cops also had record of a prior case involving Colbert in 2018 where she allegedly used a victim’s credit card to purchase Visa gift cards among other items.
Most of Colbert’s alleged criminal history stems from finding patrons in the French Quarter or the city of New Orleans and stealing their property, Kenner police claim.