The lifeless body of a 43-year-old paddleboarder was discovered in a pond near Obama’s Martha’s Vineyard mansion.
The Chicago Sun Times has identified the victim as Tafari Campbell, who served as Obama’s personal chef.
The emergency call was placed from Barack Obama’s residence on Martha’s Vineyard late on Sunday night.
Witnesses reported that the paddleboarder appeared to be struggling to stay afloat and submerged beneath the water around 7:46 p.m.
According to the Chicago Sun Times, Campbell was employed by the Obamas after they left the White House.
From The Sun Times:
The body of the former White House sous chef who worked for ex-President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle was recovered Monday in the waters near their Martha’s Vineyard estate, Massachusetts police said.
Tafari Campbell, 45, known as one of the chefs who brewed White House honey ale beer while Obama was in office — using honey from Michelle Obama’s famous South Lawn garden — went to work for the former first couple when they left the White House.
In a statement, the Obamas said of one of the top chefs in the White House kitchen: “Tafari was a beloved part of our family. When we first met him, he was a talented sous chef at the White House — creative and passionate about food, and its ability to bring people together. In the years that followed, we got to know him as a warm, fun, extraordinarily kind person who made all of our lives a little brighter.
“That’s why, when we were getting ready to leave the White House, we asked Tafari to stay with us, and he generously agreed. He’s been part of our lives ever since, and our hearts are broken that he’s gone.
Today we join everyone who knew and loved Tafari — especially his wife Sherise and their twin boys, Xavier and Savin — in grieving the loss of a truly wonderful man.”
The Obama’s have been spending part of the summer in Martha’s Vineyard for years.
Massachusetts State Police said Campbell was from Dumfries, Va., and “was visiting Martha’s Vineyard at the time of his passing. President and Mrs. Obama were not present at the residence at the time of the accident.”
While it is widely assumed that Tefari drowned, an official cause of death has not yet been provided.
Barack Obama was reportedly not at the residence when Tafari’s body was discovered.
DC_Draino presented a list of crucial questions that investigators should address, assuming they are planning to investigate. The American public deserves to know the answers.
Additional details from Daily Mail:
Witnesses first told cops on Sunday night that a man – later identified as Campbell went underwater and then briefly reappeared as he struggled to stay afloat, before submerging again around 7.46pm.
The witness – who was not identified – was paddle boarding on Edgartown Great Pond with Campbell.
A massive joint-agency search was launched when a 911 call was made from the Obama’s Martha’s Vineyard home on Turkeyland Cove Road.
The search resumed Monday morning for the venerated chef who was last seen wearing all black without a lifejacket.
His paddle board and hat were recovered Sunday – and his body was found around 10am in the eight-foot-deep waters approximately 100 feet away from shore at 10am Monday.
The dispatch address for the incident came from Obama’s Martha’s waterfront Vineyard home. It is unclear if the former president, 61, is currently staying at the estate.
This is a breaking update.
We’ll provide further details as they become available.
