Danley returned to Philippines – BI source

MANILA, Philippines — Marilou Danley, the Filipino-Australian earlier considered as a person of interest in the Las Vegas, Nevada shooting that killed 59 persons, has reportedly arrived in the country.

The Bureau of Immigration (BI), however, declined to reveal the travel records of Danley, 62, that would have confirmed if she is indeed in the country. 

Danley reportedly arrived in the Philippines last Sept. 25 from Hong Kong.

Sources said Danley was in the country before the Las Vegas shooting.

There were also reports that Danley was on vacation in Japan when the Las Vegas shooting happened.

Danley is rumored to be a girlfriend or roommate of Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock, 64. 

She was said to be Filipino but an Australian national and has been living in the United States. 

At least 59 people were killed and more than 500 others were injured when Paddock fired an automatic rifle from the 32nd floor of Mandalay Bay Hotel at the crowd attending a concert last Sunday in Las Vegas. 

US reports and officials said Danley is either in the Philippines or Japan.

Australian media said she was on holiday in the Philippines with three girlfriends.

News Corp Australia newspapers said the Filipino-Australian used to live on the Gold Coast tourist strip and still had a sister there.

“I can’t comment at the moment, I can’t say anything,” her sister Liza Werner told the Sydney Daily Telegraph, which said she was a grandmother.

The newspaper cited friends as saying she resided on the Gold Coast for more than a decade and was married to an Australian man who has since died.

She moved to the US about 20 years ago and reportedly shared a house with Paddock in a new golf course development in the desert just outside Mesquite, Nevada, 130 kilometers from Las Vegas.

It was not clear if they were in a relationship or were simply friends, with some reports referring to her as his “regular companion.”

Paddock, a high-stakes gambler with no criminal record, killed himself after mowing down concert-goers in Las Vegas.

The BI said that they could not release any information because Danley is no longer considered a person of interest by the Las Vegas police. 

“Based on reports, Marilou Danley is not a suspect and appears to have been cleared by the police, we are not inclined to release any information at this time, the information being confidential,” said BI spokesperson Ma. Antonette Mangrobang. 

But they assured their foreign counterparts of the BI’s cooperation. 

“We assure though that the BI shall cooperate with any and all of our international counterparts in providing any relevant information that would help their investigation,” Mangrobang added. 

The Las Vegas police have cleared Danley of involvement in the shooting, the worst gun attack incident in the United States. 

“We believe her not to be involved,” the Las Vegas sheriff relayed to Consul General Adelio Angelito Cruz of the Philippine consulate in Los Angeles. 

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) said, “Marilou Danley is no longer being sought out as a person of interest.”

“LVMPD detectives have made contact with her and do not believe she is involved with the shooting on the strip,” the police said.

According to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), authorities said Marilou Danley was not in the US at the time of the incident and is no longer a person of interest in the investigation.

The DFA has no official confirmation yet on her nationality, original or acquired.

“She was reported to have been in the Philippines at the time of the incident but there are unconfirmed reports that she is no longer in the Philippines at this time. Ms. Danley was not in the US when the incident happened,” the DFA said, also citing information relayed to the consul general by the Las Vegas sheriff’s office.

The DFA said the consulate was verifying a report about a Filipino-American among 500 people injured in the shooting rampage on the Las Vegas strip.

On Monday, the Philippines expressed its deepest sympathies to the US and to the families of the people who were killed in the mass shooting.

Another source at the Ninoy Aquino Intenational Airport said Danley arrived at the NAIA last Sept. 25 from the US, then left the country bound possibly for Hong Kong and returned to Manila after three days.

Malacañang has offered prayers and sympathies for the victims of the Las Vegas shooting.

Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella lamented the number of people who died during the rampage.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the families of the more than 50 victims who died because of the mass shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada,” he said.

The DFA has instructed Consul-General Cruz to immediately proceed to Las Vegas to look into the condition of Filipinos, whether tourists or residents, who happened to be in the area during and at the time of the shooting incident and who may need assistance.

During the regular briefing in Malacañang yesterday, Abella said no Filipino casualty has been reported in the incident. 

Reports, however, said Filipino-American Arthur Andrade, 21, was injured after he suffered bullet wounds on the stomach.

“We join the peace-loving people of the international community in denouncing this latest act of violence,” Abella said. 

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) arm in charge of Filipino migration yesterday described the shooting incident in Las Vegas as “purely evil.”

CBCP-Episcopal Commission on Migrants and Itinerant People chairman Bataan Bishop Ruperto Santos said they condemn the random shooting allegedly done by the lone gunman. 

“We constantly appeal to our people to be careful, stay away and notify authorities about anything and anyone harboring hatred and violent ideas. We ask them always to do their catholic obligations to save others and be safe always, and never to hurt and harm anyone,” he added.

CBCP Public Affairs Committee executive secretary Fr. Jerome Secillano yesterday called for an end to all senseless killings. – With Rudy Santos, Christina Mendez, Pia Lee-Brago, AFP