American woman killed in Africa. The case has an Ocean Springs tie
A tech executive being held in his girlfriend’s death in Africa has ties to the Mississippi Gulf Coast, records show.
Joseph Issac McCann and influencer Ashly Robinson were on a trip together in Zanzibar when Robinson died under mysterious circumstances following a dispute at the hotel where the couple was staying, according to the Associated Press.
McCann was questioned by police on Monday and his passport was taken as part of the investigation, multiple media outlets reported. Zuberi Chembera, deputy director of investigations in Zanzibar, refused to comment further to the AP.
Robinson, known online as Ashlee Janae, was found unresponsive with a belt around her neck in the closet of her room at Zuri Hotel on April 8, police said. Hotel staff rushed her to an area hospital, where she was pronounced dead the following day, NBC News reported.
McCann, 45, and Robinson were separated by hotel management in the hours before she was found, AP reported. The two had reportedly been arguing for days until Zuri Hotel staff moved McCann to a separate villa.
Robinson’s death has made headlines across the world. Police initially reported it as a suicide, prompting her family to speak out and demand transparency from Zanzibar authorities.
“They were in a gorgeous place in Africa and happy,” her mother, Yolanda Endres, told CBS News. “Everything that we knew was that she was supposed to be happy. She was engaged, she celebrated her birthday thereafter, and then she’s just gone.”
McCann is a technology executive with ties to several software management companies, according to his LinkedIn. He is the founder and CEO of Asymmetric Information, a tech firm focused on cryptocurrency infrastructure and risk management tooling. He also runs NodeSource, an open source tech company McCann claims is used by 100% of the Fortune 500.
While McCann lives in Miami and has deep roots in Portland, he also spent time living on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Public records show he lived in Ocean Springs from 2001 to 2004 before moving back to the Portland area.
McCann does not mention his time living in Mississippi in his blogs or professional pages. His NodeSource biography says he has a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and is a former techno DJ who has been working in tech for nearly two decades.
“Joe’s perspective he brings to technology is rather unique,” according to his bio. “Joe is a frequent speaker on the global conference circuit, actively promoting emerging technologies and relevant business use cases to bring pragmatism to futurism.”