Adan Manzano touched down in the Crescent City to cover what was supposed to be his third consecutive Super Bowl. A rising sports reporter for Telemundo KC, the 27-year-old was in New Orleans to see the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs go for that historic three-peat.
But, unfortunately for Manzano, he won’t have that chance as he was found dead in his hotel room on Thursday.
The person of interest is Louisiana native Danette Colbert, a 48-year-old who has been arrested previously on charges related to hustling tourists looking for a good time. While Manzano’s cause of death is unknown, Colbert was arrested on Thursday night after surveillance cameras at Manzano’s hotel in the New Orleans suburb of Kenner caught her entering his room with him at around 5 a.m Wednesday and later leaving alone. What also tipped off authorities was she used his credit cards at several stores around town, police say.
Colbert Currently Charged With Just Property Crimes
Until the coroner releases the cause of death Colbert is only being charged with property crimes as police probe. If they find that she drugged him, which is reportedly her calling card, the charges will likely be upgraded. In fact Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley mentioned just that in his statement on Manzano’s mysterious death.
“She plays a confidence game. She’s definitely a career criminal. All her crimes are… access to vice, frauds, simple robberies, thefts, things of that nature.”
Conley also said that at the time of her arrest, Colbert had drugs and an illegal firearm in her possession, although the weapon is reportedly not tied to Manzano’s unfortunate death.
Colbert’s lengthy rap sheet includes her drugging and stealing $50K from a man on the Las Vegas Strip in 2022. While she denied any wrongdoing at the time she was charged later that year.
Sounds like Manzano was looking for a little fun and ended up losing his life to a known criminal down on the bayou.
Conley said this about the incident and how people take advantage of others.
“This brings to light that there are people out there that prey on other people and bring them into their confidence and victimize them,” he said. “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.”
Manzano Leaves Behind Daughter And Lost Wife In April
Manzano was only nine months removed from losing his wife to a car accident. That leaves the couple’s young daughter without either of her parents less than a year apart. In wake of the tragedy Telemundo KC released a statement about the tragedy:
“Adan was an exceptional professional and a rising star whose dedication and talent reflected excellence in his work. We will deeply miss Adan, his passion for sports and the contributions he made to the local community.”
