Woman arrested after Super Bowl reporter found dead in New Orleans hotel

A woman with a history of drugging men and stealing their credit cards was arrested in a New Orleans suburb after a sports reporter covering the Super Bowl was found dead in his hotel room. 

Adan Manzano, a 27-year-old sports reporter based in Topeka, Kansas, was in town to cover the Super Bowl for Telemundo Kansas City and Tico Sports, according to a social media post from Telemundo Kansas City. 

Who was Adan Manzano? 

What they're saying:

"As KGKC's Sports Anchor & Reporter, Adan was a true professional and a rising star, who exemplified excellence in his work," the Facebook post from Telemundo reads. 

"We will deeply miss Adan and his passion for sports, and the contributions he made to the local community … We are cooperating with law enforcement as they investigate this tragic event."

According to local reports, Manzano’s wife died in a car accident last year. He leaves behind a 2-year-old daughter.

What happened to Adan Manzano in New Orleans? 

What we know:

According to police in Kenner, a suburb of New Orleans, Manzano was found unresponsive in his hotel room Wednesday. His colleagues called the hotel for a wellness check after he missed a morning appointment, Nola.com reports. 

A woman, later identified as Danette Colbert of Slidell, Louisiana, was seen on hotel security video with Manzano on the morning of Feb. 5. She was also seen leaving the room alone later that morning. 

Investigators said she used Manzano’s credit card at several stores in the New Orleans area. 

Danette Colbert (Kenner Police)

Colbert was arrested and is facing charges of bank fraud, computer fraud, illegal transmission of monetary funds, access device fraud and purse snatching. Colbert has a history of drugging men and stealing credit cards, police said. She has not been arrested for Manzano’s death. 

What we don't know:

Manzano’s cause of death has not been released. The Jefferson Parish Coroner’s Office is awaiting test results and hasn’t said yet whether he was drugged. 

According to Nola.com, authorities said there were no signs of obvious trauma to his body.

Danette Colbert's criminal history

The backstory:

In January 2022, Colbert was arrested in Las Vegas and accused of stealing $50,000 in cash and a slew of valuable items. 

According to the Las Vegas Review Journal, a man told police that he met two women at a bar and invited them back up to his hotel room. He said he woke up with a bloody nose and found that $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.

The man told police he made drinks for the women in his room but gave one woman $200 to leave because she was rude. The last thing he remembered was walking the woman to the door of the room. He told police he believes he was drugged. 

Six months later, she was arrested again in Las Vegas for a similar crime, in which a man said he invited two women back to his hotel room and believed he was drugged. The next morning, his Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watch worth $60,000, $1,500 in casino chips and his credit card were missing. 

She's also been convicted of targeting Bourbon Street tourists in New Orleans and illegally using their credit cards, according to Nola.com.