A British woman who was found in a shallow grave in US woodland travelled to Florida with the intention of being killed by a man she met on a fetish website, according to reports. Sonia Exelby, 32, from Portsmouth, arrived at Gainesville Regional Airport in the southernmost US state on October 10 before vanishing and failing to catch her return flight, booked for three days later. Her body was found in a shallow grave in a woodland area of Marion County, northwest of Orlando, a week after she landed in Florida.

Police believed the 32-year-old had travelled to the US to meet Dwain Hall, 53, a man who she met on a fetish website two years before. Hall claimed Sonia was suicidal and wanted to be killed, but insisted he had been a mentor figure who wanted to help her, according to an arrest warrant published by TV20. He also admitted to having violent tendencies after an autopsy concluded Sonia had died after being stabbed four times with a knife, The Mirror reports.

One of the British woman’s friends shared a public plea for her to return home on Instagram last month. “Sonia is such a vulnerable person and really struggling with her mental health,” the post read.

“We believe she got on a plane on Friday and made her way to Florida, Tallahassee, from the UK. We believe she arranged to meet someone there and has got herself into an extremely vulnerable situation. That’s all I can really say on that.”

Officers said Sonia had been picked up by Hall from the Florida airport and taken her to an Airbnb in Reddick, Marion County. Hall reportedly admitted to having sex with her multiple times and taking videos which he then deleted.

Footage obtained by police was said to show the 32-year-old with bruises all over her body, while Hall pressed her to give her consent to be harmed. Investigators also said messages sent to friends on the social platform Discord “showed that Hall was controlling her, that she was afraid, and had made a mistake”.

She reportedly told one person: “He made it clear there was no way out unless I shoot him. I was questioning it last night … I thought he’d do it quick and not give my mind time to stew.”

Hall was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder, kidnapping, credit card fraud and unlawful use of a communication device after police linked him to transactions allegedly made on Sonia’s credit card last month.

The 32-year-old’s body was found in Marion County in mid-October, with a shovel allegedly containing her DNA discovered in Hall’s garage. Police also reportedly learned that Hall had sent a package to a friend in Ohio after Sonia’s death and found a knife with her blood and DNA on it.

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