Marilou Danley, widely reported to be Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock’s girlfriend, was still a public mystery on Tuesday morning, but some details were starting to emerge after digging by the Reno Gazette-Journal and other newspaper-based sites.
Initially, Danley was named by authorities a "person of interest" in connection with Sunday’s shooting outside the Mandalay Hotel where 59 people were killed and more than 500 injured, the Gazette-Journal noted.
Her face was on news and social media like an all-points bulletin, but that was about it. Then it was reported she wasn’t a "person of interest," resulting in public confusion.
Danley, 62, was out of the country at the time of the shooting. Authorities said they were able to reach her by phone to gather information on the 64-year-old Paddock.
Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said Danley most recently was in Tokyo, and he was expecting her to return, The Associated Press reported.
The Gazette-Journal said Danley had been displaying pictures on her Facebook page, which is now unavailable, from various trips overseas, including the Philippines.
The Brisbane Courier Mail reported that Danley was a Philippines native and had lived in Australia, but it also reported that Danley was in the Philippines instead of Tokyo.
"There are reports her ID was used for booking the hotel or some such detail," Australia foreign minister Julie Bishop said, per the Courier Mail. "Australia will support the U.S. authorities in their investigation in whatever way we can, but we have not had contact with Marilou Danley directly."
The Washington Post reported that Danley and Paddock, who reportedly was worth more than $2 million, were living in at least three retirement communities, according to property records. Neighbors said the couple would leave their properties empty for long stretches as Paddock visited casinos.
Paddock reportedly was a retired accountant and gambler, and Danley listed herself on LinkedIn as a high-limit hostess at the Atlantis Casino Resort and Spa, the Gazette-Journal and the Post said.
According to Washoe County court records, she married Arkansas native Geary Danley in 1990 and the couple divorced in 2015, the Post said.
Danley had listed a downtown Reno address owned by Paddock as where she was living during her divorce, and then started staying at the residence in August 2013, the Gazette-Journal said.
Susan Page, a neighbor of the couple when they lived in Reno, described Paddock and Danley as "closet people" who "kept to themselves," per the Gazette-Journal.