(Corrects time of death in paragraph 5 to around 3 p.m and not 9 p.m.)
DAR ES SALAAM, April 15 (Reuters) – Police in Tanzania said they are questioning the fiancé of U.S. social media influencer Ashly Robinson, who died after an alleged suicide attempt while the couple were on vacation in Zanzibar, a tourist hub off the east African country’s mainland.
Police have confiscated the passport of her partner, Joseph Isaac McCann, 45, also a U.S. citizen, they said in a statement issued late on Tuesday.
Robinson, 31, who is also known by her social media name Ashlee Jenae, and McCann arrived in Zanzibar on April 4 and booked into a hotel.
They later moved to a second hotel where they “appeared to be having domestic conflicts,” police said, citing hotel staff. Management subsequently separated the two into different rooms.
“According to reports, she attempted to hang herself using a clothing belt tied inside a wardrobe in Room 25 of the hotel,” the police statement said. She died in hospital on April 9 around 3 p.m. local time while receiving treatment.
“Investigations into the matter are ongoing, pending professional medical reports and forensic examination from doctors,” police said. McCann has not been charged. Reuters was not immediately able to contact his lawyer for comment.
(Reporting by Nuzulack Dausen; Writing by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Philippa Fletcher)
Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.
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