Zanzibar authorities said Jenna AshleyThe 31-year-old Miami lifestyle influencer died by suicide after she was found dead in a hotel in Tanzania just days after her engagement. TMZ reported that Benedict Mapujira, North Unguja regional police commander, said Ashley allegedly hanged herself in her room at the Zuri Zanzibar resort on April 9.
Mapugira said hotel staff had intervened earlier in the day after Ashley and her fiancé Joe McCann got into an argument, The Citizen reported. The couple even moved into separate rooms.
Mapugira said resort employees became concerned about Ashley’s condition and contacted authorities after believing she was in danger of harming herself.
Learn more | Where is Ashlee Jenae’s fiancé? What we know about Joe McCann faces scrutiny after influencer dies in Tanzania hotel
“It was reported that the fiancés had a disagreement and later the hotel management decided to separate their rooms so the woman had her own room and the man had his own room,” he said.
According to police, Robinson was still alive when officers were called. She was taken to hospital and died the next day.
What we know so far
Zuberi Chembera, deputy chief of the Zanzibar Police Department and deputy director of the Criminal Investigation Department, previously said that the hotel management received a report from a guest in Room 24 that they heard an argument coming from Room 25 where Joe and Ashlee lived. The disturbance prompted management to move Joe to room 65, about an eight-minute walk from their original room.
Before the incident, Ashley reportedly asked a hotel employee for a charging cable because she was having issues with her own. The employee was asked to return in ten minutes and when he returned he found Ashley hanging from the clothesline. She was rushed to hospital but died.
Ashley’s relatives, including her close friend and communications executive Savannah Britt, have denied the suicide allegations. Who wrote on X“We need justice for my friend Ashlee Jenae, who was found dead in a hotel in Tanzania and her fiancé Joe McCann claims she hanged herself. Anyone who knew Ashlee Jenae knows she would never take her own life. We need answers now!”
“One moment she was celebrating love and life in true Ashley fashion, and the next, she was gone,” Ashley’s family said in a statement, adding that the “unanswered questions” surrounding the case made the loss harder to process.
The Citizen later reported that police in Tanzania’s Zanzibar Islands were detaining Joe. According to the BBC, local police said in a statement that his passport had also been “seized.” It is understood he was speaking to police as a witness.
Discussing suicide may be emotionally triggering for some people. However, suicide can be prevented. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, call the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
