British woman murdered in Florida may have ‘travelled to meet man from fetish website with intention of being killed’

Warning: this article contains mentions of sexual abuse and suicide that some people may find distressing.

A British woman who travelled to the United States has been found dead in Florida.

Investigators say they believe she may have gone there intending to be killed.

Sonia Exelby, 32, from Portsmouth, was reported missing after she failed to board her return flight to the UK in mid-October.

Days later, Florida authorities discovered her body in a shallow grave in Marion County.

According to police documents, Exelby had travelled to the US to meet a man she had reportedly been speaking to online for around two years.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) has charged 53-year-old Dwain Hall with first-degree murder, kidnapping, and multiple fraud offences connected to Exelby’s bank account. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Before her body was found, Exelby’s loved ones shared an urgent appeal on social media, writing: "Sonia is such a vulnerable person and really struggling with her mental health. We believe she got on a plane on Friday and made her way to Florida Tallahassee from the UK.

"We believe she has arranged to meet someone there and has got herself into an extremely vulnerable situation. That's all I can really say on that."

British authorities contacted FDLE through INTERPOL after concerns were raised about her safety.

In an arrest affidavit obtained by PEOPLE, investigators say Exelby had left writings on her computer describing suicidal thoughts and a plan to travel to America “to be sexually abused, tortured, and possibly murdered”.

Another note allegedly referenced being “mutilated and disabled for the rest of my life”.

Authorities say these writings lead them to believe she may have arranged to meet someone who would end her life.

Investigators identified Hall as a suspect after tracing multiple attempted transfers from Exelby’s bank account to an account linked to him.

During a voluntary police interview on 17 October, Hall allegedly gave several conflicting accounts of what happened.

When asked directly whether he killed Exelby, he declined to answer but reportedly said: “She’s happy now because she got what she wanted.”

According to the affidavit, Exelby appeared to have second thoughts shortly before her death and contacted a friend, claiming she was being held against her will.

In a message obtained by investigators, she allegedly wrote: “He made it clear there was no way out unless I shoot him. I was questioning it last night. I can’t kill anyone.”

Hall has been arrested on first-degree murder, kidnapping, credit card fraud and unlawful use of a communication device charges.

He remains in custody and will face trial.