The crypto boss fiancé of a lifestyle influencer found dead in Zanzibar just days after they got engaged is being held for questioning.
Ashlee Jenae – real name Ashly Robinson – was found unconscious in her villa at the Zuri Zanzibar resort on April 9 and was rushed to a nearby hospital where she was confirmed dead hours later.
Authorities have said it appears the 31-year-old died by suicide.
But on Tuesday, the Tanzania Police Force announced that her fiancé, Joe McCann, 45, ‘continued to be questioned by the Police Force and his travel document has been withheld.’
Police then claimed the influencer’s death is ‘related’ to a fight the newly engaged couple had at the resort – one that became so volatile that staff members moved McCann to a separate room ‘for their safety.’
McCann, the millionaire founder of crypto fund Asymmetric Financial, said he returned with a security guard to check up on Robinson, and found her hanging from a door. A hospital later listed her cause of death as cerebral hypoxia by strangulation and suffocation.
It is believed McCann is just being questioned as a witness, as police have previously told local media he is not suspected of any wrongdoing, according to the BBC.
Robinson’s parents, though, have claimed McCann only alerted them to the tragedy 11 hours later, and has continued to be vague about what happened in the days since.
They have also publicly disputed claims that Robinson would take her own life.
Ashlee Jenae – real name Ashly Robinson – was found unconscious in her villa at the Zuri Zanzibar resort and was rushed to a nearby hospital where she was later confirmed dead
The influencer had travelled to Zanzibar with her fiancé, Joe McCann, 45, to celebrate her birthday. He is now being questioned about her death
Robinson’s sister Alyssa Endres, 20, previously told the Daily Mail that her sister was a ‘beautiful’ and high-spirited person, true to the vibrant life she portrayed on social media.
She said a suicide would have been ‘extremely’ out of character for her sibling, and makes no sense given the context.
‘She was beautiful inside and out, and everyone who knew her knew that,’ Endres said.
‘Everyone that is standing beside us is really supporting us through all of this because everyone knew that she was a beautiful person, and all she could bring was life to everyone.’
The family also released a statement describing her death as ‘suspicious’.
‘Nothing about this loss feels real,’ the statement reads. ‘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.
‘At this time, there is an active investigation into the circumstances surrounding Ashly’s suspicious passing.
‘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.’
Robinson’s family has called her death ‘suspicious’ as they demanded answers about what happened
McCann, the founder of crypto fund Asymmetric Financial, had proposed to Robinson during a safari on the trip on April 3, as chronicled in a jubilant video shared with her 110,000 Instagram followers
The influencer’s parents, Yolanda Denise Endres and Harry Robinson, said she had been traveling with McCann, her boyfriend of one year, and appeared to be having the time of her life on the island off Tanzania when they received the news of her death.
‘She was starting the next chapter of her life. She called us to FaceTime us to share with us her travel and her vacation,’ Endres told ABC13.
Robinson’s social media posts echoed the same sentiment.
‘Chapter 31 and I’m exactly where I need to be,’ she wrote on her final post dated April 7, after describing her vacation as ‘a dream’ three days prior.
But her mother said Robinson called on April 8 to tell her parents that she had argued with her fiancé, and they had moved to separate rooms.
The next day, Endres said she received a disturbing call from McCann.
‘He told me that Ashly did something to herself and she was being taken to the hospital, and he told me she was stable,’ Endres told ABC13.
‘I said what happened, and he told me, it had been 11 hours prior.’
A hospital report said Robinson had a mark on her neck at the time of her death
Robinson shared numerous photos of her relationship with Joe McCann on her social media
Several hours later, the luxury villa where the couple had been staying broke the news that Robinson had died.
A hospital report seen by ABC13 stated that Robinson had a mark on her neck, and that her fiancé had ‘found she hung herself on the door’.
Robinson was later taken to another hospital, which listed her cause of death as cerebral hypoxia by strangulation and suffocation.
Endres said there were no signs that her daughter would have taken her own life.
‘She’s never done anything that would ever ever lead me to believe that she would do something to harm herself like that. She was happy,’ Endres said.
‘She was loved. She was not just going to be discarded and forgotten about,’ the heartbroken mother added.
Robinson had accrued over 80,000 followers on Instagram by documenting what she called a ‘soft life’ philosophy of positivity, as reported by NeedToKnow.
McCann, meanwhile, built up a reputation as a trader and analyst before founding Asymmetric – a crypto-focused venture capital and hedge fund that has received backing from investors Marc Andreesen and Chris Dixon.
He regularly speaks at major crypto conferences and has positioned himself as an advocate for crypto’s institutional adoption.
Robinson had accrued over 80,000 followers on Instagram by documenting what she called a ‘soft life’ philosophy of positivity
Robinson’s social media pages documented their lives together, which appeared to include frequent vacations, including the trip to Tanzania for her birthday on April 5.
McCann proposed to her during a safari on the trip on April 3, as chronicled in a jubilant video shared with her 110,000 Instagram followers.
Footage shows McCann getting down on one knee before they kissed and held hands while walking among giraffes, zebra and wild cats on the animal tour.
Just one day before her death, Robinson uploaded photos and video footage of their Zanzibar vacation.
‘If this is a dream, no one wake me up,’ she captioned one carousel which showed her and McCann posing among zebras.
Just one day before her death, Robinson uploaded photos and video footage of their Zanzibar vacation
Before their trip, the couple also enjoyed front row seats to a Portland Trail Blazers as well as a ski trip to Bend, Oregon.
Following the news of Robinson’s death, her social media pages were flooded with tributes.
Commenting underneath her final Instagram post, uploaded on April 5, one said: ‘My heart is broken hearing what happened.
‘I was just congratulating you a few days ago, this doesn’t feel real.’
Another wrote: ‘May you rest in peace Ashlee. May God bring justice and peace to you and your family. Such a bright and beautiful light inside and out.’
A third penned: ‘Rest in peace, my friend I told you that I wanted to meet you, but I will miss you dearly. RIP, my friend, your life was taken too short.’
If you or someone you know needs help, please call or text the confidential 24/7 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the US on 988. There is also an online chat available at 988lifeline.org.
