Police question US influencer’s fiancé over Zanzibar death
Police in Zanzibar are questioning the fiancé of American social media influencer Ashly Robinson, popularly known as Ashlee Jenae, Joe McCann.
Ashlee died on April 10 this year in Zanzibar, where she had travelled for a holiday with her fiancé, Joe McCann, who had proposed to her six days before her death while they were on the islands.
Information on the questioning of her fiancé was released today, Tuesday April 14, 2026, by the North Unguja Regional Police Commander, Benedict Mapujira, when he spoke to The Citizen’s sister newspaper, Mwananchi.
The regional police chief said that in addition to the investigations already conducted, the force must continue with interviews to establish whether there was any crime, and therefore several people are being questioned.
“We must question hotel staff, and her fiancé on everything, so that later on, we can reach a conclusion on whether there was a crime or not,” he said, adding that Mr McCann is still being questioned.
When asked whether Mr McCann was being held, Commander Mapujira said, “You know when you are assisting the police, you are somewhat restricted; even if you have freedom, once you are told you are assisting the police, it is not easy.”
He stressed that forensic investigations are ongoing, including additional examinations involving the head of the deceased to establish the exact cause of her death.
However, he said that when such an incident involves a foreign national, the embassy of the person’s country usually appoints a representative to oversee all matters, including the investigation.
He said the embassy provides that representative after receiving a formal request from a Zanzibar official, and the representative remains present while the investigations are carried out.
Yesterday, the Zanzibar Police Force said Ashlee was found alive, rescued and taken to hospital, where she later died.
The deceased’s mother, Ms Yolanda Denise, said the incident was unclear, noting that her daughter had travelled to celebrate her birthday with her fiancé before suddenly losing her life.
She added that communication from the fiancé had been limited, and after initial information, he did not contact them again, with the family receiving news of the death through the hotel.
Zuri Zanzibar Hotel confirmed it is cooperating with investigative authorities and the US Embassy, expressing sorrow over the incident.
Tourism ministry
For his part, the Acting Minister for Tourism and Antiquities, Mr Mudrick Ramadhan Soraga, said what remains now is to wait for the completion of forensic investigations to establish the exact cause of the problem.
He said they respect the wishes of the deceased’s family, which has stated that the government should not comment or release any information until investigations are completed.
“So we have no further comment. Investigations are ongoing; let us wait for experts to present an official report,” said Mr Soraga, who also serves as Minister for Communication, Information Technology and Innovation.
He said they will cooperate with all authorities and have already begun discussions with the US Embassy, working with security organs to calm the situation and assure the public that Zanzibar remains safe.
“We receive many visitors, and such incidents are not common. What we are doing is ensuring we obtain sufficient information on what happened and that our visitors continue to be safe. Our major responsibility is to ensure security is fully maintained,” said Mr Soraga.
He said they continue to work closely with relevant authorities and the US Embassy on other specific matters concerning Ashlee.
On the timeline for the report, he said it is not yet known, noting that coordination is ongoing at the technical level.
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