Man found dead near Obama home identified

The paddleboarder who drowned outside ex-US president’s Martha’s Vineyard mansion was his chef

Massachusetts police announced on Monday that the body found in the water outside  the estate of former US president Barack Obama was of his sous chef, Tafari Campbell. The 43-year-old African American reportedly drowned while paddleboarding.

“Tafari was a beloved part of our family,” Barack and Michelle Obama said in a statement released on Monday evening. They met the sous chef at the White House and asked him to stay in their service after leaving in 2017. “He’s been part of our lives ever since, and our hearts are broken that he’s gone.”

A 911 call from the Obama estate said an adult male had disappeared underwater on the Edgartown Great Pond, on the south side of the island, around 7:45 pm on Sunday. The man was described as African-American, wearing all black clothing but not a life jacket. Police classified the call as “possible drowning.”

The search eventually involved Massachusetts State Police, the US Coast Guard, Edgartown Fire and Dukes County Sheriff's Department. Firefighters combed the shore of Turkeyland Cove while police went door to door. The only things recovered on Sunday were a paddle board and a hat, however.

When the search resumed on Monday morning, the body was finally found using a side-scan sonar mounted on a Massachusetts Environmental Police boat. Police said they located the remains about 30 meters (98 feet) from the shore, at a depth of about 2.5 meters, just outside the Obama estate on Turkeyland Cove.

Read more

Police said that another paddle boarder was on the pond at the time and observed the man slip under the water. His identity has not been revealed.

Martha’s Vineyard and the nearby Chappaquiddick Island are the favorite summer destinations of wealthy Americans and celebrities. Obama bought the seven-bedroom, 640-square-meter waterfront mansion overlooking Turkeyland Cove in 2019, for almost $12 million.