Authorities in Tanzania have concluded their investigation into the tragic passing of American social media influencer Ashlee Jenae, revealing that she died by suicide following severe mental distress.
The 31-year-old New Jersey native, whose real name was Ashly Robinson, was found dead on April 9 at the luxury Zuri Zanzibar resort in Tanzania. The tragedy occurred just six days after she got engaged to her crypto mogul fiancé, Joe McCann, during a safari vacation, and hours after hotel staff witnessed the couple having a volatile argument.
Speaking at a press conference in Zanzibar, the Deputy Director of Criminal Investigations, Zuberi Chembera, stated that text messages retrieved from the deceased’s mobile devices showed repeated complaints regarding her life circumstances.
“Through witness statements and analysis of communication devices belonging to the deceased and her fiancé, we established that she had been experiencing mental distress,” Chembera said.
He added that SMS exchanges showed “repeated complaints regarding her life circumstances” and confirmed that “no individual was implicated in the death.”
A local medical report listed her official cause of death as cerebral hypoxia resulting from strangulation and suffocation.
According to police reports, the couple’s argument at the resort had become so intense that hotel workers relocated McCann to a separate room “for their safety.” McCann later returned to Jenae’s room alongside a security guard to check on her, where he reportedly found her hanging from a door.
Following the incident, the Tanzania Police Force temporarily seized McCann’s passport and questioned him as a witness, though international media reports clarified he was never suspected of any wrongdoing.
McCann, the founder of the crypto fund Asymmetric Financial, issued a statement mourning his late fiancée, describing her as “an angel who shined her light on everyone fortunate enough to be in her presence.”
“There is no way to fill the unfillable void left by Ashly’s passing and no way to make sense of this unfathomable loss. All we can do is carry on Ashly’s legacy of helping other people and strive to live up to her virtues every single day.”
However, the influencer’s family has publicly rejected the suicide findings, labelling her death as highly suspicious. Her parents, Yolanda Endres and Harry Robinson, expressed deep concern that McCann waited 11 hours before alerting them to the tragedy.
Similarly, her 20-year-old sister, Alyssa Endres, stated that taking her own life would have been “extremely” out of character for the vibrant and high-spirited internet personality.
In an official statement, the family noted
“Nothing about this loss feels real. One moment, she was celebrating love and life in truly Ashly fashion, and the next, she was gone. The suddenness, the unanswered questions, and the distance from home have made this tragedy even more overwhelming for our family.
Although we have many questions, we are placing our trust in the officials in Zanzibar and are working closely with them as we seek clarity and answers.”
