A British woman who is believed to have travelled to the US to be killed may have been groomed, her family claim.
The death of Sonia Exelby, 32, has left her family in the UK in limbo after she was discovered in a grave in Florida last year.
She is said to have flown to the US to meet Dwain Hall, 54, after the pair allegedly connected on a fetish online forum.
Ms Exelby, a music tutor, struggled with depression and body dysmorphia before her death.
She was reported missing from her Portsmouth home on October 12 last year, by the time she was already believed to have travelled abroad.
Her body was found in a shallow grave in Florida’s Marion County on October 17, and Hall was subsequently arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder and kidnapping. He has denied all the charges.
He was also arrested over alleged fraudulent use of Ms Exelby’s credit cards.
Early findings by detectives suggest Ms Exelby paid Hall to kill her.
Now the family have alleged their loved one was groomed on the fetish website and she had been concerned about the forum.
The family claimed the Florida man knew her ‘as being vulnerable,’ claiming that the alleged grooming went on for two years, the Daily Mail reports.
One of her sisters has set up a fundraiser to help family members travel to Hall’s trial in Florida, which is scheduled to start on November 16.
She wrote: ‘We have been very reluctant to set up a GoFundMe. It is honestly the last thing we ever wanted to do, and asking others for financial help is not something that comes easily to us. But we have reached a point where we have to be realistic.
‘The trial is in November, and without some additional help, some of Sonia’s closest family members simply may not be able to make the journey.’
Her family said previously: ‘Sonia was a truly beautiful person, inside and out.
‘She had the gentlest soul – so gentle that she chose to become vegan, because she couldn’t bear the thought of any animal suffering just so she could eat. That was who she was: kind, compassionate, and full of quiet love.
‘She was incredibly talented. Sonia could play the piano so effortlessly, and when she sang, she had the voice of an angel. Being around her felt special — she brought a calmness and warmth that made everything feel a little lighter.
‘She was softly spoken and always gave the best most intense hugs. She was the baby out of us that kept us bound together.
‘We will never get over losing her, which has left an emptiness in our lives that can never be filled. The world has lost so much kindness and light, and her absence will be felt by so many people for so many years to come.
‘We know that life wasn’t always easy for you, but your life was so much more than the struggles you faced. This is so important to us that the life you lived is what you are remembered for.
‘You were deeply loved, and you will always be deeply loved. We miss you more than words can ever say. We love you so much, always, and forever.’
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