«Sharing the life I dreamed of,» was how the company described its content. influencer Ashly Robinson to his more than 140,000 followers on Instagram. His last posts had been from a luxurious resort in Zanzibarwhere she celebrated her 31st birthday with her boyfriend, Joe McCann.
Her partner surprised her and proposed marriage. Everything seemed like a dream, but hours after saying «yes», it was found lifeless in her room. The circumstances are shrouded in mystery and his family is desperate to uncover the truth.
Who was Ashly Robinson, the influencer who died during her vacation in Africa
Known on social media as Jenna Ashleethe content creator Based in Oregon, United States, she used to show her taste for fashion and travel.
«Chapter 31 and I am exactly where I need to be,» she wrote in her last post, along with a compilation of photos from her stay in Africa, where she was seen feeding giraffes in her villa at the famous Zuri Zanzibar lodge.
He had also visited a zoo in the northern Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania. While they went on a safari On foot with a guide, they filmed themselves holding hands among lions and zebras. Suddenly, he knelt down and asked her to be his wife.
«I’m still assimilating this, somewhere in Africa,» he expressed in the caption of the publication where he told the news to his followers. «If this is a dream, don’t let anyone wake me up»he added in another publication.
However, at some point in that apparent happiness, he had a discussion with her brand new fiancé and decided to stay in separate rooms.
His parents, originally from New Jersey, couldn’t believe the heartbreaking news when they called from the hotel to tell him the death of his daughter.
The influencer’s mother, Yolanda Denise Endres, was the one who revealed the details of the fight the couple had during a television interview with CBS Newsto give visibility to the case and demand responses from the authorities, both local and international.
«She was starting a new stage in her life. She called us on FaceTime to share her vacation, and on April 8 she told us that she had argued with her fiancé and that they had both moved to separate rooms,» she explained.
The next day, the woman received McCann’s only and final call. «She told me that Ashly had hurt herself and that they were taking her to the hospital, that she was stable, but later I learned that this had actually happened 11 hours before,» explained the young woman’s mother.
Then came the heartbreaking confirmation of Ashly’s death with a call from the hotel where she was staying. They requested a hospital report, where they were told that their daughter had «a mark on her neck,» and that after her death she was transferred to a second hospital where they determined that the cause of death It was cerebral hypoxia due to strangulation and asphyxiation.
The statement of the fiancé, Joe McCann, to the Zanzibar police
As reported by the BBCMcCann is the founder of cryptocurrency management company Asymmetric Financial, based in Portland, Oregon. The 45-year-old businessman testified as a witness before the local police.
The initial version provided by the authorities in a statement is that McCann said he found his fiancee unconscious with signs of having tried to take her own life.
The police chief of North Unguja, Zanzibar, Benedict Mapujiratold the BBC that the couple reportedly had a misunderstanding, which led to the management of the Zuri Zanzibar hotel to separate them into different rooms.
Mapujira stated that the case was reported late last Wednesday at a nearby police station after hotel staff raised the alarm about a «guest suspected of having suicidal tendencies.»
«The investigations into the case continue and we are waiting for the official medical report from the doctors,» the police detailed. The hotel, for its part, declared to the BBC that he deeply regretted the «tragic incident in which one of our guests was involved», and sent heartfelt condolences to the family.
«None of this makes sense, it just doesn’t add up.«said the young woman’s father, Harry Robinson. «She never showed signs of feeling bad, she was a very loved person and we are not going to let this be forgotten,» said Endres.
«The fiancé did not contact us at all after that one call, and we found out about Ashly’s death from the hotel,» Mr. Robinson stressed.
«It’s devastating when your daughter is on the other side of the world and you can’t do anything other than calls. We just wanted to know where she was and what had happened,» he said.
The heartbreaking request of Yolanda Endres and Harry Robinson, the influencer’s parents
«There are cameras everywhere in a tourist complex and that will determine the chronology of the events. Our family is suffering a lot right now, we need to know it, we need it to be thoroughly investigated, and we need our daughter to come home,» he said sadly.
When asked if they believed McCann had anything to do with their daughter’s death, they responded on camera. CBS News: «We don’t know what happened.»
«We find it very strange that Joe has not given us any news. For us, that is very strange, but it is under investigation and, as we already said, all we want is transparency,» Robinson added.
The Zanzibar government’s Ministry of Tourism and Heritage urged those following the case to allow the police investigation to take its course.
«We respectfully request that you continue to exercise patience and understanding as law enforcement officials proceed with their investigation, ensuring due process and integrity of all parties involved,» the statement said.
Zuri Hotel stated that it is fully cooperating with local authorities and the US Embassy in Tanzania. In addition, the State Department in Washington confirmed the death of a North American citizen in Zanzibar and added that the administration «has no higher priority than the safety of Americans.»
Investigators in Tanzania said at a news conference Tuesday that they questioned McCann and They will retain your passport until the autopsy results are completed.
The young woman’s parents started a fundraising campaign through GoFundMe to be able to travel to Africa in the middle of the investigation and managed to raise $50,000 to finance the flights and necessary expenses.
