A New Jersey family is demanding answers after their daughter died suddenly during a trip overseas with her fiancé, saying they have received little information about what happened and are calling for a transparent investigation.
Ashly Robinson, an influencer who went by Ashlee Jenae online, had recently traveled to Zanzibar with her boyfriend, Joe McCann, who proposed to Robinson during the trip. Social media posts from her Instagram account suggest the trip was meant to celebrate Robsinson’s 31st birthday.
Investigators in Tanzania said Tuesday during a news conference they are questioning McCann and holding his passport until autopsy results are complete. Authorities previously told local media that he was not suspected of wrongdoing.
“She’s always smiling. She loved being in front of the camera,” her father, Harry Robinson, said. “Nothing about it makes sense. It just doesn’t add up.”
In an interview with CBS News, Robinson’s parents said their daughter appeared happy in the days leading up to her death.
“They were in a gorgeous place in Africa and happy,” her mother, Yolanda Endres, said. “Everything that we knew was that she was supposed to be happy. She was engaged, she celebrated her birthday thereafter, and then she’s just gone.”
The family said they first learned something was wrong when McCann called to say Robinson was in the hospital, but details were limited.