The girlfriend of Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock returned to the United States on Wednesday from the Philippines, as authorities in Manila said they were looking into reports he transferred $100,000 to her.
Marilou Danley flew out of Manila’s international airport on Tuesday night for Los Angeles, immigration bureau spokeswoman Maria Antoinette Mangrobang told AFP.
She was met in the United States Tuesday evening local time — Wednesday in the Philippines — by FBI agents. The 62 year-old is classified as a “person of interest” to investigators but remains free to go wherever she wants, US media reported.
The Philippines’ National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said the FBI, its US counterpart, had sought help in finding Danley.
“The FBI has coordinated with the Philippine office of the Interpol to look for her,” NBI spokesman Nick Suarez told AFP.
Suarez said the NBI was looking into reports Danley arrived in the Philippines last month, and that Paddock had sent $100,000 to her via a wire transfer.
Suarez initially said the FBI had shared to the NBI the information on the date of her arrival and the money transfer.
But he later revised his statement, telling AFP that information was from the media.
Paddock, a 64-year-old gambler and retired accountant, killed 58 people and injured at least 527 others when he used a vast arsenal of weapons to shoot at a Las Vegas concert from a hotel room on Sunday.
Danley is an Australian citizen who moved to the United States 20 years ago to work on the casino strip, the Australian gover
“There are reports her ID was used for booking the hotel or some such detail,” Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said.
“Australia will support the US authorities in their investigation in whatever way we can, but we have not had contact with Marilou Danley directly.”
Media reports said Danley was born in the Philippines, although the Philippine foreign department and Suarez said they could not confirm that.
Paddock killed himself after mowing down the concert-goers.
AFP
