[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
We now have confirmation about what happened to Ashlee Jenae.
As we previously reported, the influencer, whose real name is Ashly Robinson, passed away on April 10 while on a trip in Zanzibar, Africa, to celebrate her 31st birthday. She got engaged to her boyfriend, Joe McCann, on the same vacation – but the honeymoon phase of their engagement didn’t last long. The North Unguja Regional Police Commander, Benedict Mapujira, claimed the couple got into an argument at the Zuri Zanzibar, and hotel staff had to separate them into different rooms before contacting the police out of concern for Ashlee. And according to her family, she “was found unconscious in her villa” and was taken to the local hospital, where she died hours later.
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Authorities launched an investigation into her “suspicious” death, though they believed Ashlee died by suicide. The family, however, still had questions for one very big reason! According to them, Joe cut off ALL communication with them following her death! Police questioned the fiancé and even withheld his travel documentation while they investigated the situation. Now Joe has been cleared of any wrongdoing.
According to the local outlet The Citizen, law enforcement concluded the investigation into Ashlee’s death and determined she died by suicide as a result of mental distress. Heartbreaking. The Tanzania Police Force then shared more details about the tragic day, saying a hotel employee entered the social media personality’s villa during a routine evening check after getting no response at the door. There, the worker found Ashlee hanging inside a wardrobe. Investigators said she was suspended from the closet’s clothing rail using the hotel’s robe belt. Documents from April reportedly listed her immediate cause of death as cerebral hypoxia caused by strangulation and suffocation.
This is so devastating. Our heart breaks for her and her family. With the investigation now over, Joe is speaking out. He issued a statement to TMZ on Thursday using the old Swahili proverb:
“The heart is like a forest. One cannot see into it.”
Joe then went on to express how much he misses Ashlee, saying:
“Today’s official announcement from Tanzanian authorities that my soulmate Ashly Robinson died by suicide does not lessen the tragedy of her death. I miss Ashly every moment of every day and the pain of being without her will never go away. A sudden loss of this magnitude is not something I can simply get over. My priorities all along were getting Ashly home and cooperating with the authorities to ensure that the truth would be revealed. I wish to express my deepest gratitude to the dedicated men and women of the Tanzania Police Force for their professional, sensitive, and thorough investigation.”
His lawyer, Edward Andrew Paltzik, also told TMZ Joe is without a doubt now “an innocent” man:
“Today, the Tanzania Police Force officially announced that the tragic death of Ashly Robinson was ‘beyond any doubt’ by suicide. This exonerating announcement marks the end of an exhaustive, professional, and unbiased investigation carried out for the sole purpose of revealing the truth. Beyond any doubt, the truth now revealed to the world is this: Joe McCann is a completely innocent man.”
At this time, her loved ones haven’t reacted to her cause of death.
We continue to keep Joe and Ashlee’s family in our thoughts amid their grieving. May she rest in peace…
If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, help is available. Consider contacting the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, by calling, texting, or chatting, or go to 988lifeline.org.
[Image via Ashlee Jenae/Instagram]
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