Crypto Fund Manager Joe McCann Cleared by Tanzanian Police in Fiancee's Death

Joe McCann, a crypto fund manager, was detained in Tanzania for nearly two months following the death of his fiancée, influencer Ashly Robinson, in April. Robinson was found unconscious in her hotel room at a luxury resort in Tanzania. Her death was initially attributed to suicide, but Tanzanian police seized McCann's passport and questioned him as part of an investigation into the incident.

In June, Tanzanian authorities announced their determination that Robinson had died by suicide, specifically by hanging herself in her hotel room. Following this announcement, McCann was permitted to leave the country. McCann expressed profound grief on X, stating, "I miss Ashly every moment of every day and the pain of being without her will never go away."

Robinson, who was 30 years old and known online as Ashlee Jenae, began a relationship with McCann, 45, in November 2024. Her social media posts depicted them traveling to exotic locations, embracing a "soft life" trend. Two days before her death, Robinson posted a video of McCann proposing to her.

The couple checked into the Zuri Zanzibar hotel on April 6. Hotel staff reportedly moved McCann to a separate room from Robinson's after a disagreement. On April 8, Robinson was discovered unconscious by a room service attendant and subsequently rushed to the hospital.

McCann's crypto firm, Asymmetric, founded in 2022, had previously raised capital from investors such as Marc Andreessen and Circle. The fund reportedly nearly doubled in value during a crypto boom period. However, by July 2025, Asymmetric’s liquid fund had experienced significant losses, prompting McCann to shift investors to a new, ultimately unsuccessful, venture. McCann had not been formally accused of wrongdoing by Tanzanian authorities.

According to Fortune, Robinson's family had previously called her death suspicious.