Zanzibar police are reportedly holding Joe McCann, a crypto trader and founder of the hedge fund Asymmetric, for questioning after his fiancée, Ashly Robinson, died while the couple was on vacation.
According to a statement cited by NBC News, Robinson, 31, was found in her hotel room on April 8 and died in hospital on April 9. Tanzanian police have ruled the death a suicide but said they are still interviewing McCann; CBS News reported authorities have retained his passport pending autopsy results.
Police told reporters that hotel staff reported a “misunderstanding” between the pair and that they were separated, with McCann moved to another room. A hotel worker later found Robinson unresponsive with a belt around her neck and alerted management before she was taken to hospital.
Robinson’s family has publicly disputed the police account. Her sister, Alyssa Endres, told NBC that “none of this makes sense,” saying Robinson had been happy after celebrating her birthday and a recent engagement to McCann only days earlier.
McCann founded crypto venture and hedge fund Asymmetric, which altered its trading strategy in July 2025 after investor backlash over underperformance during an extended period of crypto market volatility. A planned merger to take a Solana treasury company public, which McCann would have led, was reportedly called off in August; McCann had previously said the fund lost about 80% that year. He could not be reached for comment.
This report cites NBC News and CBS News coverage and is intended to summarize available public accounts. Readers are encouraged to follow official updates as investigations and autopsy results proceed.