The tragic journey of 32-year-old Sonia Exelby began when she flew from the UK to Florida seeking what she called a “violent death.” Moments before she was killed, she recorded a heartbreaking video describing how she wanted her life to end. The footage shows a distressed woman, bruised and frightened, sitting before the man who would soon take her life.

Police say Sonia had connected with 53-year-old Dwain Hall in an online fetish chatroom. Investigators believe he abused and tortured her inside a remote Airbnb before stabbing her to death and burying her in a shallow grave. In the video, Hall pressed her with disturbing questions about why she came to the U.S. Sonia, in tears, called herself “an awful person” and said she had hurt those who loved her.

Her family grew alarmed when she failed to board her return flight on October 13. Her boyfriend, Steve Hunt, shared emotional pleas online, saying she had flown to Tallahassee and might be in serious danger. Their fears were confirmed when police uncovered messages showing Sonia believed there was “no way out” and that Hall controlled her every move.

Investigators later tracked Hall through phone and bank records, leading them to the Airbnb and eventually to Sonia’s burial site. A shovel at Hall’s home tested positive for her blood, and a knife mailed to a friend carried her DNA. Authorities say Hall filmed Sonia’s final moments to shield himself from responsibility.

Today, her family remains devastated, struggling to understand how Sonia fell into such a dangerous situation and why no one could reach her in time.