Ashlee Jenae's crypto mogul fiance calls influencer's shock death in Zanzibar an 'incomprehensible tragedy'

Ashlee Jenae's fiance has spoken out for the first time since the lifestyle influencer was found dead in Zanzibar last month in what authorities pronounced a suicide, calling it 'an incomprehensible tragedy.'

Joe McCann, 45, who was held for questioning after Jenae's death at 31, said that he was experiencing feelings of 'total devastation, emptiness, and shock' following the loss of his 'best friend, confidante and fiancé,' who he would 'love forever.'

Jenae was pronounced dead April 9 after being discovered unconscious at the Zuri Zanzibar resort. 

Her memory was observed in a funeral service Tuesday at Paulsboro, New Jersey's Second Baptist Church, according to a post circulated by her relatives on social media.

The Tanzania Police Force announced on April 14 that McCann was 'questioned' by investigators and 'his travel document [had] been withheld' amid the ongoing probe into her passing. 

It was believed McCann was being questioned as a witness, as authorities previously told local media he was not suspected of any wrongdoing, according to the BBC. 

In his statement on Tuesday, McCann, the wealthy founder of crypto fund Asymmetric Financial, described Jenae as 'an angel who shined her light on everyone fortunate enough to be in her presence.

'There is no way to fill the unfillable void left by Ashly's passing and no way to make sense of this unfathomable loss. All we can do is carry on Ashly's legacy of helping other people and strive to live up to her virtues every single day.'

Police said the influencer's death was 'related' to a fight the newly-engaged couple had at the resort, which became so volatile that staff members moved McCann to a separate room 'for their safety.'

McCann said he returned with a security guard to check up on Jenae, and found her hanging from a door. 

A hospital later listed her cause of death as cerebral hypoxia by strangulation and suffocation.

McCann in his post described Jenae as '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. 

He continued, 'Each day, we shared both quiet moments of reflection and the many joys of being in love with each other.

McCann said that she 'was a loving soul, so much so that she called herself a “lover gyal" as an homage to her Trinidadian roots, in which she took great pride.

'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.'

McCann said that Jenae's 'talents extended well beyond her online persona,' describing her as 'a creative genius' with 'incredible' skills in music and interior design.

'Ashly also had an encyclopedic knowledge of music, especially her favorite band, Aerosmith. She enjoyed techno and dancing, was learning to DJ, and could rap too,' he said. 

In his statement, McCann said he was 'also heartbroken for Ashly's parents, Yolanda Endres and Harry Robinson.' 

Jenae's parents have claimed McCann only alerted them to the tragedy 11 hours later, and has continued to be vague about what happened in the days since. They have raised nearly $65,000 via a GoFundMe page aimed at funding an probe and covering other expenses. 

'As we grieve, we are also navigating an ongoing investigation and the challenges of being thousands of miles away while trying to bring Ashly home with dignity and seek answers,' her parents said on the page. 

They have also publicly disputed claims that Jenae would take her own life, as her sister Alyssa Endres, 20, previously told the Daily Mail her late sibling was a 'beautiful' and high-spirited person, as reflected on social media. 

Endres said a suicide would have been 'extremely' out of character for her sibling, and makes no sense given the context. 

'She was beautiful inside and out, and everyone who knew her knew that,' Endres said. 'Everyone that is standing beside us is really supporting us through all of this because everyone knew that she was a beautiful person, and all she could bring was life to everyone.' 

The family also released a statement describing her death as 'suspicious.'

'Nothing about this loss feels real,' the statement reads. 'One moment she was celebrating love and life in truly Ashly fashion, and the next, she was gone.  

'The suddenness, the unanswered questions, and the distance from home have made this tragedy even more overwhelming for our family.'

It continued: 'At this time, there is an active investigation into the circumstances surrounding Ashly's suspicious passing. 

'Although we have many questions, we are placing our trust in the officials in Zanzibar and are working closely with them as we seek clarity and answers.'    

The influencer's parents, Yolanda Denise Endres and Harry Robinson, said she had been traveling with McCann, her boyfriend of one year, and appeared to be having the time of her life on the island off Tanzania when they received the news of her death.

'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 told ABC13.

Jenae's social media posts echoed the same sentiment. 

'Chapter 31 and I'm exactly where I need to be,' she wrote on her final post dated April 7, after describing her vacation as 'a dream' three days prior. 

But her mother said Jenae called on April 8 to tell her parents that she had argued with her fiancé, and they had moved to separate rooms. 

The next day, Endres said she received a disturbing call from McCann. 

'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 told ABC13. 

'I said what happened, and he told me, it had been 11 hours prior.' 

Several hours later, the luxury villa where the couple had been staying broke the news that Jenae had died. 

Jenae was later taken to another hospital, which listed her cause of death as cerebral hypoxia by strangulation and suffocation; a hospital report seen by ABC13 stated that Jenae had a mark on her neck, and that her fiancé had 'found she hung herself on the door'.

Endres said there were no signs that her daughter would have taken her own life.

'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. 'She was loved. She was not just going to be discarded and forgotten about.'

Jenae had accrued over 80,000 followers on Instagram by documenting what she called a 'soft life' philosophy of positivity, as reported by NeedToKnow.

McCann, meanwhile, built up a reputation as a trader and analyst before founding Asymmetric - a crypto-focused venture capital and hedge fund that has received backing from investors Marc Andreesen and Chris Dixon. 

He regularly speaks at major crypto conferences and has positioned himself as an advocate for crypto's institutional adoption. 

Jenae's social media pages documented their lives together, which appeared to include frequent vacations, including the trip to Tanzania for her birthday on April 5.

McCann proposed to her during a safari on the trip on April 3, as chronicled in a jubilant video shared with her 110,000 Instagram followers. 

Footage shows McCann getting down on one knee before they kissed and held hands while walking among giraffes, zebra and wild cats on the animal tour. Just one day before her death, Jenae uploaded photos and video footage of their Zanzibar vacation.

'If this is a dream, no one wake me up,' she captioned one carousel which showed her and McCann posing among zebras.

Before their trip, the couple also enjoyed front row seats to a Portland Trail Blazers as well as a ski trip to Bend, Oregon.

Following the news of Jenae's death, her social media pages were flooded with tributes.

Commenting underneath her final Instagram post, uploaded on April 5, one said: 'My heart is broken hearing what happened.

'I was just congratulating you a few days ago, this doesn't feel real.' 

Another wrote: 'May you rest in peace Ashlee. May God bring justice and peace to you and your family. Such a bright and beautiful light inside and out.'

A third penned: 'Rest in peace, my friend I told you that I wanted to meet you, but I will miss you dearly. RIP, my friend, your life was taken too short.'

If you or someone you know needs help, please call or text the confidential 24/7 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the US on 988. There is also an online chat available at 988lifeline.org.