Influencer’s safari getaway turns deadly days after proposal as police question fiancé, family demands answers
The fiancé of a popular New Jersey social media influencer is being questioned about her death after authorities said she was found attempting suicide while the pair were on a dream vacation off the coast of Africa.
Ashly Robinson, who was also known as Ashlee Jenae, died while on a trip to Zanzibar celebrating her 31st birthday just days after getting engaged to her boyfriend, Joe McCann, according to her family members, who called the death "suspicious."
Robinson’s death was ruled a suicide after she attempted to hang herself from her door in her hotel room on April 9, local authorities said.
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She was transported to a hospital, where she died from her injuries one day later.
Tanzania Police have since revealed Robinson’s death is "attributed to a misunderstanding" between the influencer and McCann, while adding that the incident forced hotel staff to separate the newly engaged couple by placing McCann in another room "for their safety."
In a Tuesday update, Tanzania Police said McCann "continues to be questioned by the Police Force and his passport has been suspended," though authorities did not elaborate on the nature of the investigation.
Sources have since told the BBC that McCann was being interviewed as a witness in the case and is not accused of any wrongdoing.
In light of Robinson’s death, her family is disputing authorities’ ruling that the 31-year-old influencer died by suicide.
Speaking to TMZ, Robinson’s parents, Harry and Yolanda Robinson, said they do not believe their daughter would take her own life, adding, "She was a beacon of light. A happy, go-lucky girl. Very excited to go on this birthday trip which later turned into a proposal."
The family reportedly said McCann called them 11 hours after Robinson was hospitalized to let them know she was stable, and later informed them that their daughter had died.
Robinson’s parents told TMZ they have not heard from McCann since she died, a development that they find "very very odd," FOX 29 reported.
"The sadness, the unanswered questions, and the distance from home have made this tragedy even more overwhelming for our family," Robinson’s parents said in a statement shared to social media.
"At this time, there is an active investigation into the circumstances surrounding Ashly’s suspicious passing," they added.
Robinson was a popular social media influencer prior to her death, boasting 145,000 followers on Instagram while posting lifestyle content to her page. She often shared photos of herself with McCann, with one of her final posts showing her feeding giraffes while on vacation in Zanzibar.
Fox News Digital reached out to McCann. It was not immediately clear if McCann had retained an attorney.