Influencer Ashlee Jenae's Fiancé Speaks Out After Her Cause of Death Is Released
Influencer Ashlee Jenae's Fiancé Speaks Out After Her Cause of Death Is Released
Zoey LyttleFri, June 5, 2026 at 3:22 PM UTC
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Ashlee Jenae and her fiancé, Joe McCann.Credit: Ashlee Jenae/Instagram -
Late influencer Ashlee Jenae's fiancé, Joe McCann, spoke out in a statement shared on social media hours after her cause of death was released
The content creator — whose legal name was Ashly Robinson — died on April 9 while on vacation in Tanzania with McCann
The case initially garnered intrigue after authorities said they were questioning McCann, though he was not accused of any wrongdoing
Ashlee Jenae's fiancé, Joe McCann, has spoken out following the confirmation of her cause of death.
The late influencer died at age 31 in April, while she was vacationing with McCann on the island of Zanzibar in Tanzania. Two months later, the Tanzania Police Force posted on Facebook to announce that authorities concluded their investigation of her death and found that she died by suicide as a result of mental distress.
The content creator — whose legal name was Ashly Robinson — was pronounced dead in the hospital on April 9, per the police statement posted on Thursday, June 4.
Ashlee Jenae.Credit: Ashlee Jenae/Instagram
Hours after her cause of death became public, McCann shared a statement of his own on his Instagram account. He posted the text of an "Old Swahili Proverb," as he attributed it. The quote read, "The heart is like a forest. One cannot see into it."
In the caption, he acknowledged the confirmation that Robinson died by suicide and noted that it "does not lessen the tragedy of her death."
"I miss Ashly every moment of every day and the pain of being without her will never go away. A sudden loss of this magnitude is not something I can simply get over," McCann wrote. "My priorities all along were getting Ashly home and cooperating with the authorities to ensure that the truth would be revealed. I wish to express my deepest gratitude to the dedicated men and women of the Tanzania Police Force for their professional, sensitive, and thorough investigation."
Robinson shared a range of lifestyle content to her 88,000 followers on Instagram. The content creator, who was based in Portland, Ore., also frequently posted with McCann, sharing photos of their date nights and vacations.
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The case initially garnered intrigue after police said that they were questioning McCann — to whom Robinson had gotten engaged days before her death — and had temporarily withheld his travel documentation as the investigation into her death continued. (He was not accused of any wrongdoing.)
On May 5, McCann publicly addressed Robinson's death for the first time in a lengthy statement shared on X. In the post, he reflected on his grief and remembered his relationship with the late internet personality, calling her death an "incomprehensible tragedy."
"There are no adequate words to describe the total devastation, emptiness, and shock I feel after losing my best friend, confidante and fiancé, Ashly Jenae Robinson," he opened the message. "As a father myself, I am also heartbroken for Ashly's parents, Yolanda Endres and Harry Robinson."
McCann continued: "Devoted fans knew Ashly through her charismatic online persona Ashlee, but the person I loved was Ashly, a woman who embodied the virtues of compassion, empathy, kindness, generosity, and love. A nurturing presence, Ashly cared deeply for the people closest to her, which to my eternal gratitude included me. She fattened me up with her amazing cooking and had a great relationship with my kids. Each day, we shared both quiet moments of reflection and the many joys of being in love with each other."
"What Ashly desired most was to become a mother and to raise a family together," he added. "There is no question that she would have been an amazing mom."
Robinson's family first shared the news of her death in a statement on April 12. In the wake of her death, her parents opened a GoFundMe, where they raised over $64,000 to support funeral arrangements and travel costs.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
