The family of a British woman killed in the US have said she was groomed through a fetish website where she met her alleged murderer.

Sonia Exelby, 32, was found in a shallow grave in Florida on October 17 last year days after travelling 4,000 miles to allegedly meet 54-year-old Dwain Hall.

The pair first met on a fetish website and early indications from the police investigation into her death suggest Ms Exelby had paid Hall – whose murder trial begins next month – to take her life.

Days before she died Ms Exelby, a music tutor who suffered from depression and body dysmorphia, travelled from Portsmouth to Marion County in the north of the state. Police said she 'left evidence on her computer indicating that she was again suicidal'.

However, her family have claimed she was groomed and had been concerned about the fetish website.

A medical examiner found Ms Exelby, whose body was discovered in woodland near a highway, had been stabbed four times and Hall, a father-of-two, was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder and kidnapping.

He had already been arrested on suspicion of fraudulent use of credit cards and unlawful use of a two-way communication device linked to Ms Exelby.

Hall denied the charges and his trial begins on November 16.

Ms Exelby's five siblings said some of her 'closest relatives' including their partners and nieces could not afford to travel to Florida.

Gemma Isaj, the eldest of the siblings, has started a GoFundMe page to raise money for their travel, telling The Times: 'We all have to be there to tell Sonia's story. This is about mental health [but also] there are websites and a bigger movement.'

Ms Isaj added an Airbnb in Florida had cancelled the family's booking when they explained the reason for their stay.

Ms Exelby's family said the 'full extent of justice' should be served at Hall's trial after they claimed she was 'known' to the man 'as being vulnerable' and said he groomed her for two years.

Luke Wilton, Ms Exelby's 47-year-old brother, said: 'When Sonia first raised this, she was saying she had to protect others, by gathering evidence and talking with them, taking them down.

'She had a purpose to stop this from happening to others. She told us she lost friends [this way] – she wanted to shine awareness on what was happening to people.'

Ms Exelby allegedly told her siblings she had found a group of American men who were murdering vulnerable women and had planned to travel to reveal the crimes.

After arriving in Florida her family said Ms Exelby sent friends messages to ask for help.

In August the Daily Mail revealed a US police officer guarding the crime scene where Ms Exelby was found described her as a 'crazy freaking lady'.

Bodycam footage showed the officer making the comments to his mother after she called her son to wish him a happy birthday as he protected the site where Ms Exelby's body was found.

During the exchange the officer said: 'We've got FDLE [Florida Department of Law Enforcement] here, we've got Interpol here, we've got all kinds of people here.'

After his mother asks 'what happened?' he replies: 'This crazy freakin' lady from the UK was talking to this dude online from Marion Oaks.

'She told him all her sexual fantasies, and he was like, "I could facilitate that." And she was like, "At the end of it I wanna be killed." And he facilitated that too.

'It's an international thing because she's from UK. I guess he was using her credit cards afterwards and stuff too.'

Weeks after Ms Exelby died police said she recorded footage describing in graphic detail how she wanted to die.

In the video she can be seen sitting on a chair 'looking dishevelled' and with multiple bruises across her face, neck and breasts – after being tortured by Hall who told police he used the name 'alphasadist' on fetish websites.

Hall, who claimed Ms Exelby had also asked for rough sex, can be heard asking her why she was in the US before she replied in tears: 'Because I am an awful person,' adding: 'I've crushed everyone who ever loves me.'

Ms Exelby, who described herself as a content creator, went on to detail why she was an awful person before Hall asked her 'how' she wanted to die and to 'describe it'.

Initially she refused to answer but eventually said she wanted 'to be stabbed'.

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