Adan Manzano, the sports reporter and anchor from Kansas City who was found dead in his hotel room while in New Orleans to cover the 2025 Super Bowl, hoped to be a good single parent to his daughter after his wife’s death in a car accident.
The 27-year-old who worked for Telemundo KC and Kiko Sports was found dead in a hotel in Kenner, La., on Feb. 5, according to the news station and local police.
About one year prior to Manzano’s death, his wife, Ashleigh LeeAnn Boyd, was killed in a car crash, CBS affiliate WIBW reported. She and Manzano shared a daughter named Eleanor, according to her obituary.
After his wife’s death, Manzano became a single father, and the transition and grief were “hard on him,” Steve Downing, general manager of Telemundo Kansas City, tells us.
Through this difficult time, Manzano was surrounded by support from family and often turned to his colleagues for advice on parenting.
“He wanted to be the best parent that he could be, especially under the circumstances of having to raise that daughter without her mom,” says Downing.
Adan Manzano.
Telemundo Kansas City/Facebook
“What I know is that the time when he was not on an assignment, he spent with his daughter and that’s what he always wanted to do,” Downing adds.
Downing also says that Manzano was grateful that he got to cover the Super Bowl for a third time and that his love of sports “showed in your interactions with him.”
KCTV reported that Manzano, a Mexico City native, graduated from Kansas State University and joined the Chiefs television crew as a sideline reporter last season.
“He knew what the audience wanted to hear, wanted to know, wanted to learn about, right? And so he really put that effort into his work where he could deliver that for the audience. And it always went behind that,” Downing says.
Manzano also “had a saying that he shared with everyone in Spanish: ‘No le tengas miedo al exito.’ Which translates to ‘Don’t be afraid of success,’ and he really exemplified that with whatever he was doing,” Downing tells PEOPLE.
Authorities have not yet said what Manzano’s cause of death was, noting that more tests were pending, but revealed that there were no obvious signs of trauma to his body.
A woman identified by Kenner police as Danette Colbert has since been arrested and charged with fraud and theft-related offenses after allegedly using Manzano’s credit card at several stores in New Orleans. It’s unclear if she has entered a plea or retained an attorney to speak on her behalf.
Danette Colbert.
Kenner Police
Kenner police claim that hotel security footage shows Colbert accompanying Manzano to his room on the morning of Feb. 5 before she allegedly left the room alone later that day.
While the investigation remains ongoing, police say that Colbert has previously been arrested on allegations of drugging men, theft of currency and fraudulent use of credit and debit cards, among other alleged financial crimes.
