Woman from Louisiana Arrested in Investigation into Death of Super Bowl Reporter

KENNER, La. — Unfortunately – the death of Kansas City reporter Adan Manzano appears to have taken a sinister turn.

According to Kenner Police – Manzano may have fallen victim to a woman with a long rap sheet of drugging and robbing men.

Police say 48-year-old Danette Colbert was arrested in New Orleans and is, for now, only facing fraud and theft charges.

She also faces a state felony charge of possession of a stolen firearm, but Kenner Police do not believe it’s related to Manzano’s case, St. Tammany Sheriff’s Office Lt. Suzanne Carboni said.

Conley described Colbert as a “career criminal” known to New Orleans police for “fraud schemes.”

According to investigators, Colbert was seen on surveillance video entering Manzano’s room at the Comfort Inn in Kenner early Wednesday morning.

Manzano was staying in Kenner while covering the Super Bowl in New Orleans for Telemundo in Kansas City.

He was found dead in his hotel room on Thursday.

The investigation revealed that Colbert was using a credit card belonging to Manzano — at several stores in the New Orleans area.

Police say detectives searched Colbert’s home in Slidell and found a credit card and phone belonging to Manzano.

“Upon the detective processing the hotel room, they discovered that a credit card was missing, the same credit card that was used to check into the hotel as well as his cell phone,” Kenner PD Chief Keith Conley said. “They additionally went to the front desk and reviewed the video surveillance from the security cameras at the hotel, and that’s when they observed Mr. Manzano arriving at his room about 4:30, 5:00 in the morning on February 5, entering the room, a short time later the female left and came back, and by 6 a.m. she left and never returned.”

So far – Colbert has not been charged with Manzano’s death.

Police hope to connect more of the dots in this case in the next 24 to 48 hours.

The coroner’s office is conducting toxicology tests, and results are expected to take three to four weeks, Jefferson Parish Director of Forensic Operations Tim Genevay said. There was no obvious physical trauma found on Manzano’s body, he added.

We are told no drugs or contraband was found in Manzano’s hotel room.

Kenner Police urge anyone who may recognize Danette Colbert and has any information regarding her involvement in these crimes to call the Criminal Investigations Division at (504) 712-2222 or Crime Stoppers at (504) 822-1111.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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