Wire Report
PORTLAND, Oregon — A Black influencer found dead while on a luxury trip in Tanzania earlier this year took her own life after a fiery quarrel with her fiancé, officials in the east African nation have ruled.
Ashlee Jenae, 31, was found unconscious in her villa at a fancy resort during what was intended as a birthday getaway in April. Local police said an employee doing a routine wellness check heard a thud-like sound inside her room. When the staffer let himself inside the room, he found Jenae hanging from a clothing rail.
“Through witness statements and analysis of communication devices belonging to the deceased and her fiancé, we established that she had been experiencing mental distress,” local police chief Zuberi Chembera said, as reported by the Citizen, a Tanzania news outlet.
“SMS messages showed repeated complaints regarding her life circumstances,” he added.
Jenae, whose real name was Ashly Robinson, died just hours after posting a video online of her then-boyfriend, Joe McCann, proposing to her on a safari ride they had taken earlier in their trip.
McCann, 45, was questioned by local police and subsequently released.
Known for aspirational content, the Portland-based influencer had built a loyal following of more than 100,000 followers on Instagram by sharing lush living, luxury travel and personal content. She had been documenting her trip on social media — including loving moments with McCann — and was in regular contact with her parents until April 8. In her final phone call to her parents, Jenae said the couple had fought so badly that hotel staff had placed them in separate rooms.
Following her death, Jenae’s family called the incident “suspicious,” rejecting the initial suicide ruling. In statements made to multiple outlets, the family described Jenae as a “beacon of light” and said she showed no signs of wanting to harm herself.
The parents have yet to release a statement following confirmation by Tanzania police that they are closing the investigation.
In the days after Jenae’s passing, tributes poured in across social media, painting a picture of a woman described as vibrant, ambitious, and deeply loved.
McCann had proposed on April 3, just days before Jenae’s death. The influencer’s last post was on April 5, and she shared images of herself feeding a giraffe, captioning the moment, “Chapter 31 and I’m exactly where I need to be.”
