Family seeks answers after New Jersey woman found dead while on vacation in Zanzibar
Share this @internewscast.com

In a heart-wrenching search for truth, the family of a New Jersey woman is seeking answers surrounding her untimely death on the island of Zanzibar, Tanzania. The international spotlight has turned to the mysterious circumstances facing the loved ones of Ashly Robinson, as they navigate the opaque responses from Tanzanian officials and her fiancé.

“My daughter Ashly is no longer with us,” expressed Yolanda Denise Endres, Robinson’s mother, as she grapples with the lack of clarity surrounding the tragic event. The questions left unanswered have only deepened the family’s sorrow.

Her father, Harry Robinson, shared the emotional turmoil that has engulfed their lives. “Uncertainty. Mystery. Anger. Sadness. It’s like a part of me has been taken,” he lamented, highlighting the profound impact of his daughter’s sudden passing.

Ashly Robinson, who was widely recognized online as Ashlee Jenae, had ventured to Zanzibar to celebrate her 31st birthday on April 5. The trip was a significant milestone, as her boyfriend of one year had proposed just two days before the incident, marking a new beginning in her life.

Ashly Robinson
Ashly RobinsonInstagram / @ashleejenae

“She was starting the next chapter of her life,” Endres recalled, noting how her daughter had shared the joyous moments of her travels and vacation through FaceTime. The family now clings to these memories as they seek desperately to understand the events that led to her demise.

“She was starting the next chapter of her life. She called us to FaceTime us to share with us her travel and her vacation,” Endres said.

Less than a week later, she was dead. Her mother said Robinson called on April 8 to say she and her fiancé had argued and were moved to separate rooms.

The next day, Endres said she received a call from the fiancé.

“He told me that Ashly did something to herself and she was being taken to the hospital, and he told me she was stable,” Endres said. “I said what happened, and he told me, it had been 11 hours prior.”

Hours later, the hotel where the couple was staying notified the family that Robinson had died.

According to a hospital medical report, Robinson had an unidentified mark around her neck. The report states that her fiancé “found she hung herself on the door.”

“Sometimes Joe went back to the room with security, and that’s how they found her,” said the woman’s father.

Robinson was later taken to a second hospital, which listed her cause of death as cerebral hypoxia by strangulation and suffocation.

“She’s never done anything that would ever ever lead me to believe that she would do something to harm herself like that. She was happy,” Endres said.

The family says they have contacted police, the consulate, and the embassy, but have not received additional information beyond confirmation that the death remains under investigation. They have also requested surveillance footage from the resort.

“She was loved. She was not just going to be discarded and forgotten about,” Endres said.

The family says they are considering traveling to Zanzibar to seek answers. Attempts to contact Robinson’s fiancé, the resort and the embassy were unsuccessful.

Copyright © 2026 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Spencer Pratt blasts LA's $40M MacArthur Park plan

Spencer Pratt Criticizes LA’s $40M Investment in MacArthur Park Redevelopment

Amidst plans to inject $40 million into revitalizing Los Angeles’ MacArthur Park,…
Australian tourist trapped waist-deep in sewage after outback toilet collapses

Australian Traveler Rescued from Unusual Outback Toilet Mishap

In an unexpected and unpleasant twist during a family road trip through…
House considers bill to create 'buffer zones' outside houses of worship to ward off protest chaos

House Proposes Bill for ‘Buffer Zones’ to Safeguard Worship Spaces from Protest Disruptions

Congress is currently weighing a new legislative proposal that aims to establish…
California man accused of killing ex-wife and new boyfriend makes bold move in chilling  body-cam video

Chilling Body-Cam Footage Reveals California Man’s Shocking Move in Ex-Wife and Boyfriend Murder Case

Footage from a body camera reveals the subdued arrest of a 43-year-old…
Scathing audit performed on West Suburban Medical Center, shuttered Oak Park, Illinois hospital thousands relied on

Critical Audit Uncovers Issues at West Suburban Medical Center, Former Lifeline for Oak Park, IL Residents

OAK PARK, Ill. — Late Tuesday afternoon, the ABC7 I-Team uncovered that…
California ‘basic income’ experiment fails to provide ‘financial independence,’ study finds

California’s Basic Income Trial Falls Short on Promised Financial Independence, Study Reveals

A recent study by researchers at the University of California, Davis, reveals…
Hiker stumbles on human skull in iconic desert as mystery grows and detectives open homicide probe

Human Skull Discovery in Iconic Desert Sparks Homicide Investigation: Mystery Deepens as Detectives Probe

A chilling find in the isolated deserts of Southern California has initiated…
California dominates pollution ratings with eight cities in top 25

California Cities Lead Pollution Rankings with Eight in Top 25

As California gears up for new clean-air initiatives and a contested electric…
Man charged after allegedly kicking at airline staff, biting passenger on Australian-bound flight

Man Faces Charges for Alleged Assault on Australian-Bound Flight, Involving Airline Staff and Fellow Passenger

A 45-year-old man from Queanbeyan faces charges following an incident on a…
Former North Carolina police officer arrested for allegedly planning mass shooting at New Orleans festival

Ex-North Carolina Police Officer Detained for Suspected Plot to Stage Mass Shooting at New Orleans Festival

A former police officer from North Carolina has been apprehended in Florida…
Zodiac Killer may be tied to Black Dahlia case after ‘code cracked,’ new suspect emerges

New Breakthrough Links Zodiac Killer to Black Dahlia Mystery: Unveiling a New Suspect

The infamous Zodiac Killer, known for his cryptic messages that taunted law…
Pete Hegseth warns Iran laying mines violates cease-fire, won't deny report it could take six months to clear the Strait of Hormuz

Iran’s Mine Threat: Pete Hegseth on Potential Six-Month Strait of Hormuz Crisis

On Friday, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth addressed concerns about Iran potentially…