British Woman Flew 4,000 Miles to Florida and Was Found Dead in Shallow Grave as Family Claims She Was 'Groomed' Online

Sonia Exelby, a 32-year-old music tutor from Portsmouth, England, traveled to Florida in October 2025 to meet a man she had communicated with online.

Four days after she missed her scheduled flight home, her remains were found in a shallow grave in Marion Oaks, Florida. A medical examiner determined she died from four stab wounds.

Dwain Hall, now 54, was arrested on Nov. 17, 2025, and charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping. He has pleaded not guilty. Jury selection in his trial is scheduled to begin Nov. 16, 2026, in Marion County.

Exelby's relatives have told The Times that they believe she was groomed for about two years by men she encountered through a fetish website before traveling to the United States.

Her brother Barry Wilton said Exelby had previously spoken about concerns surrounding the website and wanted to help other vulnerable people.

"When Sonia first raised this, she was saying she had to protect others by gathering evidence and talking with them. Talking them down," Wilton told The Times, according to PEOPLE.

Wilton said his sister believed she had a purpose in trying to stop similar situations from happening to others. Her sisters initially tried to persuade her not to travel to Florida, but she ultimately made the trip.

The family's grooming claim has not been established in court. The Times reported that relatives believe Exelby was vulnerable and that she had raised concerns about people on the site allegedly targeting women.

An arrest affidavit obtained by PEOPLE states that Exelby had left writings indicating she was suicidal and was traveling to the United States to be sexually abused, tortured, and possibly murdered.

Investigators said Hall later told them he had met Exelby on a fetish website, where he used the username "alphasadist."

According to court records, Hall and Exelby had communicated for roughly two years before she traveled to Florida. Investigators said Hall picked her up at Gainesville Regional Airport on Oct. 10, 2025, and took her to an Airbnb in Reddick.

Exelby was reported missing after failing to board her return flight. U.K. authorities contacted Florida officials through INTERPOL on Oct. 13, and her remains were found in Marion Oaks on Oct. 17. Her death was ruled a homicide.

The arrest affidavit also describes messages Exelby sent to a friend through Discord while she was in Florida. In one message, she wrote, "He made it clear there was no way out unless I shoot him." She added, "I was questioning it last night. I can't kill anyone."

The messages offer a different perspective on the circumstances surrounding the trip and are part of the evidence investigators have cited in the case.

Authorities have also said Hall initially denied knowing Exelby before later acknowledging their relationship.

Investigators have alleged that Exelby had intended to meet people willing to kill her, while her relatives maintain that she had been manipulated and groomed. Those competing accounts have not been resolved at trial.

Exelby's family is now raising money to help relatives travel from the U.K. to Florida for Hall's trial. Her sister Gemma Isaj has also called for greater scrutiny of websites where vulnerable people can encounter strangers.

Isaj described her sister as someone who struggled with her mental health but wanted people facing similar difficulties to feel supported and less alone. Her brother Luke Wilton has called for the fetish website Exelby used to be shut down.

Hall remains charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping and has pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors and his defense will have the opportunity to present their cases when jury selection begins Nov. 16, with Hall's guilt or innocence ultimately to be decided in court.