Miami influencer Ashlee Jenae was found dead in a luxury resort villa in Zanzibar, Tanzania, during a trip meant to mark her 31st birthday and recent engagement.
Ashlee Jenae, whose real name was Ashly Robinson, built a following as a Miami-based lifestyle influencer. She shared “soft life” content focused on positive energy, travel, and personal growth on Instagram under @ashleejenae. Friends described her as vibrant, headstrong, kind, and unproblematic.
A tweet from X.
Jenae traveled to Zanzibar with her fiancé, Joe McCann, founder of Asymmetric Financial, to celebrate her 31st birthday on April 5, 2026. McCann proposed during a safari around April 3–4. She posted joyful updates, including a video of the proposal and a final Instagram post on her birthday showing her feeding a giraffe beside rose petals spelling
“HBD Ashlee.” The caption read: “Chapter 31 and I’m exactly where I need to be.”
She was found unconscious in their villa at the Zuri Zanzibar resort and rushed to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead hours later.
McCann reportedly told Tanzanian authorities and Jenae’s family that she died by suicide via hanging. Tanzanian officials have not released any official autopsy results, toxicology report, or public statement confirming the cause of death. No arrests have been made.
Jenae’s family issued a public statement describing the death as suspicious. It said:
“Ashly was on what should have been one of the happiest trips of her life… She became engaged during a safari… But just days later, that dream turned into our family’s worst nightmare. Ashly was found unconscious in her villa… Nothing about this loss feels real… At this time, there is an active investigation into the circumstances surrounding Ashly’s suspicious passing. We are placing our trust in the officials in Zanzibar and are working closely with them.”
Close friend and PR executive Savannah Britt posted on X:
“We need justice for my friend Ashlee Jenae who was found dead in her hotel in Tanzania and her fiance Joe McCann claims she hung herself. Anyone who knows Ash knows she would NEVER commit suicide. We need answers now!”
The story spread quickly after a post by RaphouseTV2 on April 12, 2026, followed by Britt’s viral message. This resulted in an explosion of discussions across X and other social media platforms. Speculations and racialized discourses regarding the case have also taken place, some of which relate to strangling, staging, or the identity of McCann, among others.
Further investigations are still ongoing in Tanzania. There has been no release of any results of autopsy, nor is there an official statement available. It is suggested that one should only consider information from a legitimate source.
The recent case presents the rapid spread of information through social media in the event of the death of a US citizen abroad. The investigation is mainly in charge by the authorities in Zanzibar.
