A sign is displayed in a village in Zanzibar on January 7, 2013. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS (Photo credit should read GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP via Getty Images)
The body of Ashlee Jenae is back stateside following her death in Tanzania. She died during a birthday trip, shortly after Joe McCann proposed to her. Her family is reportedly planning a funeral service for early next week, according to her father, Harry Robinson.
In an exclusive interview with TMZ, Harry Robinson revealed the family had received his daughter’s remains last Friday (April 24). Tanzania officials sent the body to New Jersey amid their investigation. However, per Robinson, none of Ashlee Jenae’s personal belongings, including her engagement ring, came with her. As of Monday, the father says he doesn’t know whether her items will be returned and when. Additionally, it’s unclear which other items, aside from her engagement ring, are still in Tanzania or elsewhere.In the meantime, Ashlee’s family is planning a funeral service. It will reportedly take place in New Jersey early next week.
Ashlee Jenae, real name Ashly Robinson, was a lifestyle influencer based in the U.S. In April, she and Joe McCann traveled to Zanzibar, Tanzania, to celebrate her 31st birthday. They reportedly arrived on April 4, one day before her birthday, per Reuters and booked into a hotel. The day before, Ashlee had posted a video of Joe proposing in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. Her last post on Instagram was shared on the day of her birthday and captioned, “Chapter 31 and I’m exactly where I need to be.”
While in Zanzibar, they had reportedly transferred to a second hotel.According to local police, Ashlee and Joe had gotten into a domestic dispute at the second hotel on April 8. The unspecified conflict led to a room separation by hotel staff. Citing police, Reuters reports that Ashlee allegedly “attempted to hand herself using a clothing belt tied inside a wardrobe in Room 25 of the hotel.” A hotel worker reportedly found her in the wardrobe, per NBC10, after using the emergency key. Ashlee had allegedly requested help with a charger but didn’t answer the door, prompting staff to enter the room. She was then taken to a hospital, but died in the hospital on April 9 at around 3 p.m. local time, per Reuters. Police initially suggested the incident was a suicide and the autopsy results haven’t been publicly released.
According to Ashlee Jenae’s father, their family ordered an independent autopsy of her body in the United States. Those results are reportedly still in process. The family previously told TMZ Ashlee did not show any signs of wanting to commit self-harm.
Despite being Ashlee Jenae’s finac at the time of her death, Harry Robinson and Ashlee’s mom, Yolanda, previously told TMZ Joe McCann had barely contacted them. Joe allegedly contacted Yolanda 11 hours after Ashlee was found. In that call, he allegedly reassured the mom that everything was okay, despite Ashlee being in the hospital. Then, the 31-year-old died. As of mid-April, that had been the only contact between Joe and his fiance’s parents. The family released a statement on April 14, calling the incident their worst nightmare. At the time, they were requesting to review surveillance footage from the hotel Ashlee Jenae last stayed at.
To this day, Joe McCann has not been formally charged or accused of wrongdoing in the incident. Instead, it appears he was initially treated as a witness in the investigation. Two weeks ago, per the Guardian, Zanzibar officials withheld Joe’s passport as he cooperated with investigators on the case. No credible reports have confirmed his departure from Tanzania.
