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FBI Hopes Paddock's Girlfriend Can Provide Insight Into Las Vegas Attack

This undated photo of Marilou Danley, 62, was provided by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Authorities are trying to determine why Stephen Paddock, Danley's boyfriend, killed dozens of people in Las Vegas on Sunday night.
This undated photo of Marilou Danley, 62, was provided by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Authorities are trying to determine why Stephen Paddock, Danley's boyfriend, killed dozens of people in Las Vegas on Sunday night.

As authorities began investigating the mass shooting in Las Vegas on Sunday night, Marilou Danley quickly became someone they wanted to talk to.Stephen Paddock had been identified as the person who opened fire on the crowded country music concert. Investigators then wanted to know who he knew, and did they know about the attack.Danley, referred to as Paddock's longtime girlfriend, had been out of the country for weeks and was in the Philippines at the time of the shooting. She is an Australian citizen.The Associated Press reports: A law enforcement official says she arrived on a flight from Manila to Los Angeles where FBI agents were waiting for her late Tuesday night. The official wasn't authorized to publicly discuss the matter and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.Investigators have been piecing together Paddock's life. He reportedly met Danley several years ago while she was working at a casino in Reno, Nev.The Washington Post quotes Paddocks' brother Eric as saying, "They were adorable — big man, tiny woman. He loved her. He doted on her."But other descriptions of the couple are not as rosy.TheLos Angeles Times reports: The workers behind the counter at the Starbucks inside the Virgin River Casino in Mesquite, Nev., winced whenever Stephen Paddock and his girlfriend, Marilou Danley, lined up for their usual beverages. That's because Paddock had a nasty habit of berating Danley in public. "It happened a lot," Esperanza Mendoza, supervisor of the Starbucks, said Tuesday.NBC News reported that Paddock wired $100,000 to the Philippines last week, but NPR has not independently verified that report. NBC says that Danley traveled to the Philippines on Sept. 25 via Hong Kong.Separately, USA Today reports that authorities were looking into "recent transfers of large amounts of money involving the suspect and the possible relationship to gambling activities."Las Vegas Sheriff Joseph Lombardo on Tuesday confirmed that Danley was in the Philippines and said she is currently considered "a person of interest." He said he did not know about the reported wire transfer.As investigators press on, President Trump is scheduled to fly to Las Vegas on Wednesday to meet with public officials, first responders and some of the people injured in the attack.Nearly 60 people have died in the attack, and more than 500 people were injured. Police say the shooter killed himself. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

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