It was supposed to be the highlight of a young career. Adan Manzano, a 27-year-old rising star for Telemundo Kansas City, was in New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX. He’d done this before, covering the Chiefs' previous runs, but 2025 felt different. He was finally finding his footing as a single father after his wife, Ashleigh, tragically died in a car crash just a year earlier. Then, on February 5, 2025, everything stopped. Manzano was found dead in a suburban hotel room in Kenner, Louisiana.
The news hit the Kansas City sports community like a freight train. People wanted answers immediately. Was it a medical emergency? Was it the stress of a brutal year? Honestly, the truth that came out months later was way more sinister than anyone initially guessed.
Adan Manzano Cause of Death: The Toxic Mix
The Jefferson Parish Coroner’s Office eventually cleared up the mystery, though it took some time for the toxicology reports to come back. According to Coroner Dr. Gerry Cvitanovich, Adan Manzano died from the combined toxic effects of Xanax and alcohol. It wasn't just the drugs, though. The autopsy also pointed to positional asphyxia. Basically, because he was so heavily sedated by the mixture of the "benzos" and the drinks, he ended up face-down in a pillow and simply couldn't breathe. His blood alcohol level was 0.232%. That’s nearly three times the legal limit for driving.
When you mix a central nervous system depressant like Xanax with that much alcohol, your body just forgets how to keep itself going. It’s a terrifying, silent way to go.
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Why the Police Called it Murder
Here is the part that makes this story so heavy: Adan didn't have a prescription for Xanax. He wasn't a recreational user of the drug, according to family and medical records.
Police quickly turned their attention to surveillance footage from the Contempra Inn. It showed Manzano walking into his room around 5:00 a.m. with a woman later identified as 48-year-old Danette Colbert. An hour later, she walked out alone. She had his phone. She had his credit cards.
The "Knock Out" Scheme
You’ve probably heard of "slipping someone a finnie" or drugging a drink in a bar. That’s exactly what authorities believe happened here. Danette Colbert wasn't just a random person he met; police describe her as a "career criminal" with a history of drugging men to rob them.
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- The M.O.: Use Xanax to induce "amnesia" or "extreme drowsiness" in victims.
- The Goal: Clean out their pockets and bank accounts while they are unconscious.
- The Evidence: Police found Xanax at Colbert's home that matched the type found in Adan's system.
By March 2025, the charges against her were upgraded to second-degree murder. Under Louisiana law, if someone dies as a result of you giving them a controlled substance or during the commission of a felony like robbery, you’re on the hook for murder.
Later, a second suspect named Rickey White was also hit with murder charges. Investigators found text messages between White and Colbert talking about "knock outs" and getting PIN numbers from victims. They were basically running a predatory business.
A Family Left Picking Up the Pieces
The most heartbreaking layer to the Adan Manzano cause of death isn't the crime itself—it's who he left behind. Adan was working so hard to be a great dad to his two-year-old daughter, Eleanor.
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His wife, Ashleigh Boyd, was an elementary school teacher who died in a head-on collision in April 2024. Adan had been grieving her for less than a year when he was killed. One moment he's posting photos from a Patrick Mahomes press conference, and the next, a little girl is left without both of her parents.
What happens now?
As of early 2026, the legal battle is still dragging on. Danette Colbert recently rejected a plea deal, which means this is likely heading to a high-profile trial.
If there’s any lesson to take from this tragedy, it’s the reality of how common these "drugging and robbing" schemes have become in tourist hubs. It doesn't matter how professional or smart you are; it only takes one moment for someone to slip something into a glass.
Actionable Safety Tips for Travelers:
- Never leave a drink unattended, even for a second to go to the bathroom.
- Be wary of "over-friendly" strangers who want to go back to a private room immediately.
- Use the "Buddy System" and check in with friends via text when you're heading back to a hotel.
- Set up "Find My" or similar tracking on your phone and share it with a family member before a trip.
Adan’s story is a reminder that the world can be a lot more dangerous than it looks on a highlight reel. Hopefully, the upcoming trials bring some kind of closure to a family that has already lost way too much.