American held in Zanzibar after influencer partner dies at hotel

Zanzibar police were holding American citizen Joseph Isaac McCann after the death of his partner, Ashly Robinson, also known online as Ashlee Jenae, at a hotel in Nungwi. Authorities said they kept McCann’s passport while waiting for autopsy results, underscoring that the case remained open and in the hands of local investigators.

Police said the couple arrived in Zanzibar on April 4, 2026, and stayed at the Zuri Zanzibar hotel. Officers later said hotel management separated them after a dispute and moved McCann to another villa about a 10-minute walk away. McCann was questioned four days after Robinson was found dead, as investigators continued to piece together the final hours inside the hotel.

The timeline around Robinson’s death has not settled into a single account. One version says a hotel worker found the 31-year-old unresponsive in a closet with a belt around her neck. North Unguja police commander Benedict Mapujira said Robinson used part of her dress to hang herself inside a wardrobe and died in hospital the next day. Other reporting placed her death on April 9, while Mapujira’s account put it on April 10 after she was found alive and treated. Those differences have left major questions hanging over the case.

Robinson’s family has challenged the police explanation. Her sister, Alyssa Endres, said Robinson was “happy” and looking forward to the future. The family also said McCann called them first to say something had happened before the hotel later told them Robinson had died. A fundraiser set up after her death said she had traveled to Zanzibar to celebrate her 31st birthday and got engaged during the trip.

The Zuri Zanzibar hotel said it was deeply saddened and was cooperating with local authorities and the U.S. Embassy. In cases like this, U.S. consular officers can help notify next of kin, assist with burial or shipment of remains, and prepare a Consular Report of Death Abroad after a local death certificate or finding of death is issued. For now, investigators in Zanzibar were still reviewing witness statements, hospital paperwork and forensic findings before deciding whether the death remained unexplained or moved into a formal criminal inquiry.