Girlfriend of Las Vegas shooter back in US from PH

Marilou Danley. FILE PHOTO FROM FACEBOOK

(Updated 12:31 p.m., Oct. 4) The rumored girlfriend of Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock left the Philippines Tuesday, Immigration spokesperson Maria Antonette Mangrobang confirmed Wednesday.

Danley, 62, went through the Immigration past 5:56 p.m. at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2 and went aboard Philippine Airlines flight PR102 heading back to Los Angeles.

Her flight left the Philippines 9:32 p.m. Tuesday (Philippine time) and arrived at the Los Angeles International Airport Tuesday 7:32 p.m. (US time).

Mangrobang said they are already in close coordination with the Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and gave all information about Danley, whose Filipino surname is Bustos.

“The BI (Bureau of Immigration) has been in close coordination with the Homeland Security and the FBI in so far as providing them with information,” Mangrobang said.

Immigration records showed that Danley is a holder of an Australian passport.

She traveled to the Philippines every year since 2013 except in 2016, Mangrobang said.

The Philippines’ National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said the FBI, its US counterpart, had sought help in finding Danley.

“Danley arrived in the Philippines last month, and then there was a wire transfer to her account for $100,000 from Stephen,” NBI spokesman Nick Suarez told AFP.

“The FBI has coordinated with the Philippine office of the Interpol to look for her.”

NBI spokesman Nick Suarez said the FBI considered Danley a “person of interest”, but not necessarily a suspect.

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 government confirmed Tuesday.

“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. With a report from Agence France-Presse