The family of Ashly Robinson, an influencer who died while on a safari trip to Tanzania with her fiancé, have said that he stopped communicating with them after her death. Robinson, 31, known online as Ashlee Jenae, was found unconscious in her villa in Zanzibar and later died in hospital, according to a family statement on Instagram.
Local police said they believed Robinson died by suicide following a 'misunderstanding' with her fiancé, Joe McCann, which led to the couple being separated into different hotel rooms. However, Robinson's family described her death as 'suspicious' and noted that they have not heard from McCann since.
Relatives told TMZ that the lack of communication from McCann was 'very odd.' Robinson, a content creator based in Oregon with over 124,000 Instagram followers, had been celebrating her 31st birthday on the trip. She had called her mother, Yolanda Denise Endres, on April 8 to say that she and McCann were arguing and had moved into separate rooms.
The next day, McCann told Endres that Robinson had 'done something to herself' and was being taken to hospital, saying she was stable. Hours later, the hotel notified the family of her death. A hospital report noted a mark around Robinson's neck, and her fiancé reported finding her hanging on a door. A second hospital listed the cause of death as cerebral hypoxia by strangulation and suffocation.
Endres said Robinson had never shown signs of self-harm and was happy. The family have been in touch with authorities in Tanzania but have received no further information beyond confirmation that the death remains under investigation. Police in Zanzibar said they were not planning to detain or pursue legal action against McCann, who has not been accused of any wrongdoing by authorities.
The family is considering travelling to Zanzibar to seek answers. 'She was loved. She was not just going to be discarded and forgotten about,' Endres said.
