Family members said goodbye on Tuesday to Ashlee Jenae — on the same day her fiancé broke his silence about the social media influencer’s mysterious death.
Funeral services were held on May 5 at Second Baptist Church in Paulsboro, New Jersey, according to the church’s website.
The influencer, born Ashly Robinson, grew up in Southern New Jersey and had most recently lived in Miami. Her body was returned to the U.S. last week from Africa.
The content creator was on vacation with her fiancé Joe McCann, 45, as they celebrated her 31st birthday at a luxury resort in Zanzibar, Tanzania. On April 8, Robinson was found unresponsive at the hotel and rushed to a hospital. She died the next day.
Her mother, Yolanda Endres, said in interviews she received a phone call from Robinson hours before her death, stating that she had been in a serious argument with McCann and the hotel moved them to separate rooms.
Endres said McCann called the next day telling her “Ashly did something to herself.” After that, the hospital notified the family saying Robinson had died. Tanzanian authorities initially said her death was a suicide.
The hospital emailed Robinson’s mother a medical report, saying she died from cerebral hypoxia by strangulation and suffocation. The family disputed the claim that Robinson took her life, saying she had just gotten engaged and had everything to live for.
The family released a statement saying, “The suddenness, the unanswered questions, and the distance from home have made this tragedy even more overwhelming for our family.”
Robinson’s parents contacted the U.S. State Department and pushed for answers. Authorities in Tanzania held onto McCann’s passport and questioned him. He was not charged with a crime.
On Tuesday, the tech entrepreneur broke his silence about Robinson’s death on a lengthy statement he posted on X.
“There are no adequate words to describe the total devastation, emptiness, and shock I feel after losing my best friend, confidante and fiancé [sic], Ashly Jenae Robinson,” he began. “As a father myself, I am also heartbroken for Ashly’s parents, Yolanda Endres and Harry Robinson. Ashly’s death is an incomprehensible tragedy.”
McCann said Robinson was kind, had a “great relationship” with his children, and had been looking forward to starting a family.
“What Ashly desired most was to become a mother and to raise a family together. There is no question that she would have been an amazing mom,” he added. “Ashly, I love you forever.”
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