Telemundo Reporter’s Death Probe Takes Disturbing New Turn

Adan Manzano

Louisiana authorities are digging into whether Telemundo Super Bowl reporter Adan Manzano was drugged before his death in a New Orleans hotel room, especially since another victim claims the suspect, Danette Colbert, left him for dead in a similar scheme years earlier. 

Danette Colbert

Manzano, 27, was last seen on camera being led into a hotel by Colbert, 48, who was later found with his phone and credit card. Kenner police say Colbert has a history of drugging and robbing men, and they’re waiting on toxicology results to confirm if Manzano fits the pattern.

Since Colbert’s arrest for robbery in this case, others have come forward with their stories. 

David Butler, 52, says he met Colbert in a French Quarter bar in 2021, where she and another woman gave him a drink that left him disoriented. He remembers being helped into a black Suburban, then nothing—until he woke up, robbed of his phone, wallet, and over $80,000 from a crypto account, reports NBC News.

Colbert’s trail doesn’t end there: Nevada records show she faced charges in 2022 for larceny and drugging others, but those cases were dropped when victims wouldn’t testify. She was convicted last October for unrelated fraud and theft, but Judge Nandi Campbell opted for probation and restitution instead of prison.

Butler, outraged, says Manzano might still be alive if Colbert had been locked up. He’s called the light sentence a slap in the face to justice, warning that more deaths could follow if Colbert isn’t held accountable. Campbell’s office hasn’t commented, and Colbert’s lawyers couldn’t be reached while she’s held in Jefferson Parish.

Butler, 52, who did not want to share his location for privacy reasons, said he was among those who reached out to the Kenner Police Department after he learned of Manzano’s death. He had been regularly monitoring Colbert online since 2021, he said, “because I knew she wouldn’t stop.”