Super Bowl Reporter Adan Manzano’s Cause of Death Revealed

More than a month after he was found dead in his hotel room while on assignment to cover the Super Bowl in New Orleans, Kansas City sports reporter Adan Manzano’s cause of death has been revealed.

The 27-year-old had traveled from Kansas City to Louisiana to cover Super Bowl LIX on behalf of Telemundo Kansas City. He was found dead in a hotel room in Kenner, Louisiana on the afternoon of Feb. 5.

Manzano died from the combined effects of anti-anxiety medication Xanax and alcohol, Jefferson Parish coroner Dr. Gerry Cvitanovich revealed during a Tuesday press conference with the Kenner Police Department. Positional asphyxia was also named as a contributing factor. According to Cvitanovich, Manzano was found face-down in a pillow.

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“When you add them up, they’re really bad,” Satanovich noted. Satanovich also said that the young reporter’s alcohol level was .232 at the time of his death, which is almost three times the legal limit. His manner of death was classified as “undetermined.”

Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley announced during the press conference that two people have been arrested and charged in connection to Manzano’s passing. Danette Colbert, 48, was arrested last month after police said she was seen on surveillance footage arriving at Manzano’s hotel with him on the night of his death. She was later seen leaving the hotel an hour later alone.

Colbert was originally charged with fraud and theft after police said she had his cellphone and credit card in her home. Conley said Tuesday that she has since been charged with second-degree murder, adding that police uncovered “critical evidence” linking her to the crime, including the discovery of Alprazolam (Xanax) at her residence. She remains in custody at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center.

Conley added that a second person, identified as Ricky White, was arrested by U.S. Marshals, Hollywood police, and the Secret Service in Hollywood, Florida on Friday. He has been charged with simple robbery and various fraud charges. He remains in custody in Broward County.

According to Conley, Colbert and White were allegedly “working hand in hand on this.” He added that he is “committed to leaving no stone unturned in the pursuit of justice for Adan Manzano’s family and friends. The men and women of the Kenner Police Department are working around the clock to ensure this does not happen to another family.”