New Jersey influencer Ashlee Jenaeās cause of death has been confirmed to be suicide after police said the content creator had an explosive fight with her fiancĆ© at a luxury resort in Tanzania.
āThrough witness statements and analysis of communication devices belonging to the deceased and her fiancĆ©, we established that she had been experiencing mental distress,ā local police chief Zuberi Chembera told the media on Thursday, as firstĀ reported by Tanzanian news outlet the Citizen.
āSMS messages showed repeated complaints regarding her life circumstances,ā added Chembera, speaking from Zanzibar, the popular tourist destination where Jenae, 31, was staying with her husband-to-be Joe McCann, 45, at the time of her death in April.
Staff at the Zuri Hotel moved Jenaeāreal name Ashly Robinsonāand McCann into separate villas on April 8, two days after they checked in, following a vicious argument, according to police.
Just before 9 p.m. that evening, a staff member carrying out routine checks let themselves into Robinsonās new villa with a master key and heard a sudden thud-like sound before finding her hanging inside the unlit room, police said.
She had fashioned a noose out of a hotel-provided robe belt and a clothing rail, according to police.
No further details were given about the nature of the coupleās argument before Robinsonās death, and police in Zanzibar said their investigation is now closed.
The pair had been dating for around a year, and McCann, who works in crypto, had proposed two days before her birthday during the vacation.
Robinson had been documenting her trip, including theĀ proposal video, on her social media and was in regular contact with her parents until suddenly going radio silent on April 8.
In her final phone call to the States, Robinson told her parents that the couple had fought so badly that hotel staff had placed them in separate rooms.
The next day, April 9, McCann called his fiancĆ©eās parents to say that their daughter ādid something to herself,ā but was vague on details.
Robinson died later that day, with her cause of death listed as cerebral hypoxia by strangulation and suffocation.
McCann, who was questioned following the deathĀ but never accused by police of any wrongdoing, broke his silence on May 5, hours after he reportedly wasnāt invited to Robinsonās funeral at the Second Baptist Church in Paulsboro, NJ.
āThere are no adequate words to describe the total devastation, emptiness, and shock I feel after losing my best friend, confidante and fiancĆ©,ā he said in a lengthy statement ā adding that theĀ couple had been planning to start a family.
Despite the snub, McCann said he was āheartbrokenā for Robinsonās parents, Yolanda Endres and Harry Robinson.
The parents are yet to release a statement following the confirmation by police in Tanzania that they are closing the investigation into their daughterās death.
They had previously said they did not believe Robinson would take her own life, and demanded further answers from authorities.
