Las Vegas shooter’s girlfriend could ‘hold the key’ to possible motive, say sisters

Marilou Danley, 62, was met by investigators at Los Angeles’ LAX Airport as she returned from a trip to the Philippines.

It also emerged Ms Danley may have been “sent away” by Paddock so she could not get in the way of his killing spree.

Investigators had declared the Australian national a “person of interest” in connection with the massacre, which saw 59 people killed and more than 500 injured.

They believe Ms Danley could be the key to understanding why retired accountant Paddock decided to carry out the deadliest mass shooting in US history.

The 64-year-old sprayed bullets at spectators at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival from a 32nd floor hotel room on Sunday.

Marilous Danley and Stephen PaddockREUTERS

Marilou Danley was ‘sent away’ by Stephen Paddock

We are not there yet. We have a lot to do

Andrew McCabe – FBI deputy director


FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe yesterday said investigators had not found the answer to why Paddock committed the outrage, adding: “We are not there yet. We have a lot to do.”

Danley, who lived with gambling addict Paddock, was met at the airport by FBI officials and pushed through the complex in a wheelchair.

Although she was not charged or arrested, agents believe she will agree to a voluntary interview.

It has emerged former casino worker Ms Danley was sent £75,000 by the mass killer while away visiting family in the Philippines.

Her two sisters, Amelia Manango and Liza Werner, believe she could hold the key to a possible motive, calling her the one person who could “put the puzzle together”.

In a television interview in Australia, the two women – with faces obscured – called her a “good person”.

Stephen PaddockPH

Paddock sprayed bullets at spectators at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival

They revealed that Paddock, who shot at the crowds from a sniper’s nest in the Mandalay Bay hotel, had paid for her flight.

One said: “He sent her away so that he could plan what he is planning without interruptions.

“In that sense, I thank him for sparing my sister’s life, but that won’t be able to compensate the 59 lives.”

Their brother, Reynaldo Bustos, added: “I called her up immediately and she said, ‘Relax, we shouldn’t worry about it’.

“She told me ‘I’ll fix it. Do not panic. I have a clean conscience’.”

Paddock’s younger brother, Eric, 55, said of Ms Danley: “She was probably one of the only people I’ve ever seen that he’d go out of his way to do a little thing for.”

Staff at a Starbucks in Mesquite, the town north of Las Vegas where the couple lived, claimed Paddock regularly snapped at Ms Danley when she asked to use his casino payment card.

One staff member said: “He would glare down at her and say, ‘You don’t need my casino card for this. I’m paying for your drink, just like I’m paying for you’.

“He wouldn’t let her talk. He was in his own world. She would just back down and say, ‘OK’.”

It was also revealed yesterday that back in June Paddock had been prescribed diazepam, a medication which can trigger aggressive behaviour.

Police said they had recovered 47 weapons – mostly high-powered rifles – from Paddock’s two rooms at the Mandalay Bay, his house in nearby Mesquite and another property he owned in Reno, Nevada.

Marilou DanleyPH

Ms Danley arriving at LAX Airport

After taking 23 of them to his hotel room, he showered the music festival spectators with bullets for between nine and 11 minutes.

He then took his own life as police officers closed in on him.

Officers said he had set up cameras inside and outside his hotel room so he could be alerted when police were approaching.

Evidence also surfaced yesterday that Paddock, who checked in last Thursday, may have had a visitor in his room at some point.

One of the hotel’s employees posted a receipt on Facebook for meals for two people.

As well as a burger and a bagel, the guest paid for soup, two glasses of Pepsi and a bottle of water.

The family of twice-married Paddock are still reeling at the fact that the “normal, good guy” who led a quiet life could be behind the US’s worst gun massacre.

Family members said he worked as an auditor then made a big enough fortune on property investments to lead a luxurious lifestyle.

He had a property portfolio including the two homes in Nevada and another in Orlando, Florida, as well as two planes.

He holidayed on expensive cruise ships.

His brother Eric said: “His life is an open book. It’s all in public record.

“Once again, there is nothing. He went to college. He had a job.”

Las Vegas memorialGETTY

The Las Vegas strip memorial visited by Destiny Alvers (right) who had rescued an injured friend

But his dark side included spending up to £22,000 per day on online bets.

He reportedly once sent his brother a photograph of a £30,000 jackpot win.

Paddock is the son of notorious bank robber Benjamin Hoskins Paddock, who spent almost 10 years on the FBI’s most wanted list.

Neighbours in Mesquite described him as a surly loner who avoided all contact with members of the community.

One said: “Nobody knew him. I literally never saw him.

“The house was so quiet, we thought they were snowbirds.”