Louisiana police say the Super Bowl reporter found dead in his hotel room outside New Orleans on Feb. 5 before the big game had Xanax in his system, citing a preliminary toxicology report that has yet to be publicly released.
Adan Manzano, a 27-year-old Telemundo sports reporter based in Kansas City, Missouri, traveled to New Orleans on assignment to cover the Super Bowl earlier this month and was found dead in his room at the Comfort Suites hotel in Kenner.
Kenner Police Detective Jeffrey Fitzmorris testified during a Tuesday bond hearing that Alprazolam, commonly known as Xanax, was found in Manzano’s body after his death, according to FOX 8 New Orleans. The detail paints a fuller picture of what may have happened to Manzano before he died.
Kenner police confirmed the testimony to Fox News Digital.
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Two days after Manzano was found, police arrested and charged 45-year-old Danette Colbert, nicknamed the “Bourbon Street Hustler” on social media, with multiple fugitive and fraud charges, as well as a robbery charge, in connection with the young reporter’s death. Authorities believe she may have drugged Manzano and then stolen his credit cards before authorities found him dead.
Colbert was denied bond on Thursday.
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“They met in the French Quarter, probably in the wee hours of the morning. They came back to the hotel that was in the city of Kenner about 4:30 a.m. on Feb. 5, at which time we do have surveillance video from the lobby of the hotel showing them going into [Manzano’s] room around that time,” Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley previously told Fox News Digital.
“Then [Colbert] came out, ran to the store, came back about 30 minutes later, and within 10 or 15 minutes, she left the room. And he was never seen again on any video other than when he went into the room. So, she was the last one to be with him,” the police chief said.
Detectives found one of Manzano’s credit cards was missing while processing his hotel room, Conley told reporters during a press conference on Feb. 8. Authorities then obtained a search warrant allowing them to track the locations where the credit card was used after Manzano was found, which led them to Colbert.
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The suspect is tied to other alleged drugging and robbery cases in New Orleans and Las Vegas, and Conley believes she may be involved in another man’s death in New Orleans.
“We suspect that the investigation will lead to her being involved in another death case in the city of New Orleans back in December,” Conley said. “We are working with [the New Orleans Police Department]. We’re working with state police and the attorney general’s office to get as much information as we can before we come to any conclusions because, in cases like this, you have to investigate, you can’t just speculate.”
Conley said Colbert “has a long history of… bringing men into her confidence.”
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“The men become incapacitated by some manner, at which time they lose all their money, their property. By the time they wake up or come to regain consciousness, they are out of a lot of money. Their credit cards have been used at various places, and they find themselves in an awful fix,” the police chief explained.
Police are asking anyone with information about Colbert to come forward. Some victims, Conley said, do not speak up due to the sensitive nature of the suspect’s alleged crimes.
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Authorities executed a search warrant at Colbert’s address after identifying her as a potential suspect in connection with Manzano’s death and located a stolen gun that did not appear to be related to Manzano’s death and narcotics.
Colbert may face additional charges as the investigation into Manzano’s death develops.
Telemundo 39 remembered Manzano in a statement as “a true professional and a rising star who exemplified excellence in his work.”
“We will deeply miss Adan and his passion for sports and the contributions he made to the local community,” the statement says.
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