The family of influencer Ashlee Jenae is asking the public for help after she died earlier this month under mysterious circumstances on a trip abroad.
Jenae had been staying at a luxury villa in Zanzibar, Tanzania, with her fiancé, crypto trader Joe McCann, whom she had been dating for more than a year. But two days after her birthday on April 5, she was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead.
Here’s everything we know about the case.
Who are influencer Ashlee Jenae and her fiancé Joe McCann?
Jenae, whose legal name was Ashly Robinson, was a 31-year-old lifestyle content creator originally from New Jersey who had been living in Portland, Oregon. In a statement posted to Instagram, her family said McCann proposed to their daughter while on safari, adding to her excitement over the “dream trip.”
“Everything that we knew was that she was supposed to be happy, and she was engaged. She celebrated her birthday thereafter, and then she’s just gone,” Robinson’s mother, Yolanda Endres, told American News Station KOIN.
According to Newsweek, McCann is the founder of a company called Asymmetric Financial and has been speaking with police detectives amid the ongoing investigation.
No arrests have been made.
What happened to Ashlee Jenae?
Endres told 6ABC that on April 8, Janae called her and said she’d argued with McCann, and the two had moved to separate rooms.
According to the family, Janae was found unconscious the next day at the villa where she and McCann were staying and was rushed to a local hospital. There, she was pronounced dead.
Janae’s parents told KOIN that McCann called them that day. “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 6ABC. “I said, ‘What happened?’ and he told me it had been 11 hours prior.”
She later found out that her daughter had died when the hotel where Janae had been staying called the family. While some reports have stated that police believe Janae died by suicide, the family said they don’t believe she would have harmed herself.
“Nothing about this loss feels real,” her family said in a statement posted to Instagram. “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.”
In their statement, the family added, “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.”
Where is Joe McCann now?
According to the BBC, McCann’s passport is being held as he speaks to Tanzanian police as a witness. Per the outlet, “No arrests have been made, and the police had previously told local media that McCann was not suspected of wrongdoing.”
The news of Jenae’s passing has struck a chord with her followers as well as a growing online community. The story received even more attention after Jenae’s friend, online personality Savannah Britt, posted on X demanding answers. “We need justice for my friend Ashlee Jenae,” she wrote, adding, “Anyone who knows Ash knows she would NEVER commit suicide.”
Her friends are also encouraging those wishing to support her parents to donate to a GoFundMe meant to help them with potential travel to Zanzibar and burial costs.
“Ashly was deeply loved,” her family said in their statement. “She was vibrant, full of life, and had so much ahead of her.” In the caption they wrote “#justiceforashly.”
McCann, whose Instagram page is private, has not publicly commented on Jenae’s death. Jenae’s parents told CBS News they first learned something was wrong with Jenae when McCann called them, but he didn’t say much other than she was in the hospital. Communication stopped after the brief call, and McCann did not contact them to say she had died, they added.
McCann, a prominent figure in the cryptocurrency sector as founder and CEO of Asymmetric, now finds himself in the spotlight, from his past marriage to marketing executive Shea Jackson to his reputation in the crypto community.
According to reports, the Tanzania Police Force has described the investigation as ongoing and incomplete. Early statements suggested the death may have been a suicide, based on initial findings at the scene. According to police, McCann reported finding Jenae unresponsive and alerted authorities.
At the same time, officials have made clear that no conclusion has been finalised. The case is still open, and investigators are examining all circumstances, including a reported argument between the couple the day before her death.
Here are questions her fans, family, supporters and the general public are asking:
How did Jenae die? What was her cause of death? Have autopsy and toxicology results been completed — or released? What exactly happened in the hours before she was found? Is there surveillance camera footage? What were the specific circumstances when she was found? What was her physical condition?
What role, if any, did the reported argument between Jenae and fianceé, Joe McCann, play? How long will her fiancé stay in Zanzibar with his passport being withheld? Are police treating this as a suicide, an accident, or perhaps homicide? What role does the US government have on the investigation?
So far, her family has raised over $40,000 (Ksh. 5 million) on GoFundMe to support funeral arrangements and travel costs.
As of April 15, nearly 700 individuals have contributed to the fundraiser.
Jenae had more than 70,000 Instagram followers and built her audience around travel, fashion, and lifestyle content. Her engagement post on April 5 was the last thing she shared publicly.