John Jefferson
The “career criminal” accused of stealing a Super Bowl reporter’s credit cards after he was found dead in his Kenner, Louisiana, hotel room earlier this month may be tied to a second man’s death in the Big Easy, according to Kenner Police.
Adan Manzano, a 27-year-old Telemundo reporter based in Kansas City, Missouri, traveled to New Orleans on assignment to cover the Super Bowl last week and was found dead in his room at the Comfort Suites hotel in Kenner Feb. 5.
Danette Colbert, 45, nicknamed the “Bourbon Street Hustler,” is facing multiple fugitive and fraud charges, as well as a robbery charge, in connection with Manzano’s death.
“We suspect that the investigation will lead to her being involved in another death case in the city of New Orleans back in December,” Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley told Fox News Digital. “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.”
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Kenner Police believe Colbert may have drugged Manzano and then stole his credit cards before authorities found him dead.
“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,” Conley said.
“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.”
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On Feb. 8, Conley told reporters during a press conference that detectives found one of Manzano’s credit cards was missing while processing his hotel room.
Detectives reportedly obtained a search warrant allowing them to track the locations where the credit card was used after Manzano was found, and that led them to Colbert.
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Conley said Colbert is also tied to several cases involving male victims being drugged and robbed in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, and Las Vegas.
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“She has a long history of … bringing men into her confidence. 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,” Conley explained.
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The police chief added that police had received between 12 and 13 tips related to the Colbert case as of Wednesday, but some victims do not want to come forward publicly 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.
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Colbert may face additional charges as the investigation into Manzano’s death develops. It was not clear if she had retained an attorney.
Telemundo 39 remembered Manzano as “a true professional and a rising star who exemplified excellence in his work” in a statement.
“We will deeply miss Adan and his passion for sports and the contributions he made to the local community,” the statement says.
Manzano’s wife, Ashleigh Boyd, died in a car crash last year in Kansas.
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