Police in Zanzibar are holding an American citizen whose partner died in mysterious circumstances following a dispute on the hotel where they were staying.
Joseph Isaac McCann, 45, was questioned by police on Monday, 4 days after his partner, Ashly Robinson, 31, higher often called influencer Ashlee Jenae, died.
The deputy director of investigations in Zanzibar, Zuberi Chembera, refused to comment on the case on Thursday, in response to The Associated Press, saying that the investigation was ongoing. Investigators did say they’re holding McCann’s passport until Robinson’s autopsy results are complete, reports CBS News.
Police said witness accounts indicate the couple arrived on the Zuri Hotel in Zanzibar on April 4 and had been arguing ceaselessly until the night of April 8, when hotel management separated them and asked McCann to maneuver to a separate villa a few 10-minute walk away.
A couple of hours later, a hotel employee found Robinson unresponsive in a closet with a belt round her neck, police said. She was taken to a hospital, where she died the next day.
Zanzibar’s police told the BBC that Robinson had attempted to take her own life.
The hotel, Zuri Zanzibar, told the BBC that it was deeply saddened by the “tragic incident involving one in all our guests.”
The hotel said it was co-operating with authorities and the U.S. embassy but didn’t comment further, citing privacy concerns.
McCann has not released a public statement on the time of this writing and no arrests have been made. Zanzibar police previously told local media that investigators had found “no immediate sign of criminality” and McCann had not been detained, saying circumstances outlined by police “didn’t justify legal motion.”
Robinson shared multiple social media posts during her trip, including her last post on April 5, which showed her feeding a giraffe while ringing in her thirty first birthday.
“Chapter 31 and I’m exactly where i have to be,” she wrote within the caption.
Robinson’s family demands answers
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In a press release posted to Instagram, Robinson’s family said their daughter “was on what must have been one in all the happiest trips of her life.”
“She and her fiancé, Joe McCann, were staying in a luxury villa on the Zuri Zanzibar, continuing what we believed was her dream trip. But just days later, that dream changed into our family’s worst nightmare. Ashly was found unconscious in her villa and was rushed to an area hospital, where her death was confirmed hours later,” the family wrote.
“The suddenness, the unanswered questions, and the space from handmade this tragedy much more overwhelming for our family,” they continued. “Presently, there’s an energetic investigation into the circumstances surrounding Ashly’s suspicious passing. Although we’ve many questions, we’re placing our trust within the officials in Zanzibar and are working closely with them as we seek clarity and answers.”
The family also asked that “any information in a roundabout way provided by our family be treated as unverified and never considered factual presently.”
Robinson’s parents spoke to ABC News from Delaware and said they’ve not received clear information from officials in Tanzania or from McCann about what happened to their daughter.
“My daughter Ashly, she’s now not here with us, and we’re trying to seek out out why,” said her mother, Yolanda Denise Endres.
“Uncertainty. Mystery. Anger. Sadness. It’s like an element of me has been taken,” said her father, Harry Robinson.
In accordance with her family, Robinson was celebrating her birthday together with her boyfriend of 1 12 months, who had proposed two days prior.
“She was starting the subsequent chapter of her life. She called us to FaceTime us to share with us her travel and her vacation,” Endres said.
Her mother said that Robinson called them on April 8 to say she and McCann had argued and had been moved to separate rooms.
The subsequent day, Endres said she received a call from McCann who told her “that Ashly did something to herself and she or he was being taken to the hospital.”
“He told me she was stable. I said what happened, and he told me it had been 11 hours prior,” she added.
Hours after speaking with McCann, Endres said that the hotel where the couple was staying had notified them that Robinson had died.
“Joe went back to the room with security, and that’s how they found her,” Endres said.
Robinson’s mother said her daughter has “never done anything that might ever lead me to imagine she would do something to harm herself like that.”
The family said they’ve contacted multiple people, including the police, the consulate and the embassy, but haven’t received additional information beyond that the death stays under investigation.
Robinson’s family has requested surveillance footage from the resort.
Robinson’s sister, Alyssa Endres, told NBC News that “none of this is smart.”
“That’s why we’re just so lost. And that’s why we just want answers,” she added.
Robinson’s family created a GoFundMe to attempt to “bring Ashly home with dignity and seek answers.”
“This fund is in response to those asking help and can support travel costs, arrangements, and unexpected expenses during this time,” Robinson’s parents wrote in the outline.
As of Thursday afternoon, the GoFundMe page had raised greater than US$53,000 of its $50,000 goal.
The Human Rights Association, a South Africa-based organization, is looking on the Tanzanian government to launch an independent investigation into the circumstances of Robinson’s death.
In a press release, the group said that Robinson’s family “deserves answers, and so they deserve them through a process that’s independent, transparent, and free from any appearance of inadequacy.”
“Where the reason for death is disputed by the family of the deceased, the duty to research thoroughly just isn’t optional,” said Saad Kassis-Mohamed, chairman of the Human Rights Association.
The organization is looking for the discharge of full autopsy and toxicology findings, in addition to urging the US to take an energetic role.
“The death of an American citizen abroad under disputed circumstances warrants consular engagement at the very best level, and the family shouldn’t be required to navigate the complexities of a foreign legal system without the complete support of their government,” the organization said.
— With files from The Associated Press