Tafari Campbell: Police say nothing suspicious with chef’s drowning as Obama daughters leave island
The Obamas referred to Tafari Campbell as ‘a beloved part of our family’ after his body was recovered from Martha’s Vineyard’s Great Pond on Monday
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
Massachusetts Police have said that there is “no evidence” of anything “suspicious” with the drowning death of the Barack Obama’s personal chef Tafari Campbell.
Campbell, 45, tragically died in a paddleboarding accident in the water close to the former president’s home in Martha’s Vineyard on Sunday night.
Police in Edgartown, Massachusetts, confirmed on Monday morning that his body had been recovered from the town’s Great Pond.
Campbell had worked for the Obamas at the White House and then joined the family as their personal chef afterwards. Police said Barack and Michelle Obama were not at home when Campbell died but were on the island.
Their daughters Sasha and Malia were spotted leaving Martha’s Vineyard after the tragedy.
“Tafari was a beloved part of our family,” the Obamas said in a statement on Monday.
“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.”
In an update on Tuesday, Massachusetts Police said that “he was not wearing a personal flotation device and was not leashed to the paddle board” when he fell into the water.
He was with a fellow paddle boarder – who has not been named – who tried to help but could not reach him in time, police said.
“The other paddleboarder then swam to shore and notified a person on shore of what had happened,” police said.
“That person placed a 911 call to the Dukes County Regional Emergency Communications Center, which initiated an immediate emergency search and rescue response by numerous public safety agencies.”
Tafari Campbell: What we know about Obama chef and loving husband who died paddleboarding in Martha’s Vineyard
Missing paddleboarder found dead near Obama mansion named as former president’s personal chef Tafari Campbell
‘Our hearts are broken’: Obamas pay tribute to personal chef who died while paddleboarding near family mansion
Who was Tafari Campbell?
Campbell’s Instagram account is that of a man who took great pride in his craft, enjoyed golfing and improving his fitness, and loved his family.
Interspersed between numerous photos of elegantly-presented dishes, from Chinese dumplings to peach-flavoured mini bread puddings, there are numerous snapshots of him with his wife Sherise, who runs a baking and catering firm and whom Campbell frequently described as his “best friend”.
One photo showed the young couple’s wedding back in 1999, with the caption “happy 21st anniversary!!!!”
Others showed them seeing 2018’s smash hit Black Panther, eating at a restaurant and at the beach on holiday in Aruba.
There are also a few pictures of Campbell with his twin sons, who are now 19 years old.
Massachusetts State Police give update on Tafari Campbell death
“The investigation into the death of Tafari Campbell, 45, of Virginia, who was recovered from Edgartown Great Pond on Monday, as well as an initial post-mortem examination by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, found no evidence that the death was suspicious,” Massachusetts State Police said in an update on Tuesday.
“The on-scene observation of the victim by State Police personnel and the post-mortem examination by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner revealed no external trauma or injuries.
“An interview of the paddle boarder who was with Mr Campbell indicates that Mr Campbell was standing on his paddle board, lost his balance and fell into the water, then struggled to stay afloat but could not do so.
“He was not wearing a personal flotation device and was not leashed to the paddle board. The fellow paddle boarder tried to swim to Mr Campbell’s location but did not reach him in time.
“The other paddle boarder then swam to shore and notified a person on shore of what had happened. That person placed a 911 call to the Dukes County Regional Emergency Communications Center, which initiated an immediate emergency search and rescue response by numerous public safety agencies.
“The police investigation and post-mortem examination is completed except for receipt of toxicology results, which is a standard procedure in all autopsies that generally takes several weeks to complete.
“Barring any further significant developments, which are not expected at this time, the State Police will provide no further updates on Mr Campbell’s tragic passing.”
Flight crews, dive teams and boat crews wielding side-scan sonar joined the search
On Monday morning, the Massachusetts State Police (MSP) said in a statement that the search was paused to “assess [the] next steps”, before adding that afternoon that they had found a body at around 10am on Monday.
The police search was conducted by divers and boat crews employing side-scan sonar technology and aerial support from the MSP and USCG helicopter crews, its statement said.
“The recovery was made approximately 100 feet from shore at a depth of about eight feet,” MSP said. “The investigation into the fatality is being conducted by the State Police Detective Unit for the Cape and Islands District and Edgartown Police.”
Finally, on Monday evening, MSP named the deceased as 45-year-old Tafari Campbell from Dumfries, Virginia, saying he was a longtime employee of the Obamas and that neither Mr Obama nor his wife Michelle were home at the time of his death.
A cause of death has not been confirmed, but a press release by the law enforcement agency was tagged as a “drowning” on its website.
Three questions remain unanswered
Martha’s Vineyard authorities say they’ve found no suspicious evidence in the drowning death of Cambell near the Obama family’s estate. But several key details about the circumstances have not been explained.
The Independent’s Joe Sommerlad reports:
Three unanswered questions in the drowning of Obama chef Tafari Campbell
Martha’s Vineyard authorities say they’ve found no suspicious evidence in the drowning death of Cambell near the Obama family’s estate. But several key details about the circumstances have not been explained. Joe Sommerlad reports
How did Tafari Campbell drown?
Massachusetts State Police (MSP) said on Tuesday they had concluded that Campbell was “standing on his paddleboard, lost his balance and fell into the water, then struggled to stay afloat but could not do so”.
The MSP added that the deceased “was not wearing a personal flotation device and was not leashed to the paddleboard” at the time of the accident, suggesting he may simply have been overwhelmed by the waves, regardless of his capabilities as a swimmer.
The MSP added in its update that an autopsy had found no evidence that Campbell’s death was suspicious and no trauma or injuries were found on his body.
Police said no other updates are expected except for standard toxicology results, which are protocol in all autopsies and may take several weeks to complete.
Questions have been asked, however, about just how experienced Campbell was in the water after it was noticed that a number of his Instagram posts suggested he may only have learned to swim, or to swim confidently, within the last five years or so.
In October 2017, he posted a photo showing him and his wife standing chest deep in the sea off Aruba, with the hashtag “#stillcantswim”. One follower asked: “But can you swim though? Lol.” Campbell responded with a “weary face” emoji, suggesting frustration or lamenting.
The Independent has contacted that person for comment.
A pair of videos posted about a year and four months later showed him practising various swimming strokes over beginner distances, with the hashtags “#Progress” and “#survivalskills”.
Tafari Campbell was not tethered to paddleboard when he fell in water
Massachusetts State Police said on Tuesday that an autopsy found no evidence that the death was suspicious and no trauma or injuries were found on Campbell’s body. A paddle-boarder who was at the pond with Campbell when the tragedy unfolded told law enforcement that the late chef was standing on his paddleboard when he lost balance.
“He was not wearing a personal flotation device and was not leashed to the paddleboard. The fellow paddle boarder tried to swim to Mr Campbell’s location but did not reach him in time,” the update read. “The other paddle boarder then swam to shore and notified a person on shore of what had happened.”
MSP said no other updates are expected at this time except for standard toxicology results that are protocol in all autopsies and may take several weeks.
Key details about Tafari Campbell’s death that remain unanswered
Several questions remain unanswered days after Tafari Campbell, who worked as a personal chef to Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, drowned in a tragic paddleboarding accident on the island of Martha’s Vineyard off Massachusetts.
The 45-year-old from Dumfries, Virginia, had served the 44th US president during his tenure at the White House between 2008 and 2016 and accepted an invitation to stay on with the family when Mr Obama stepped down to make way for Donald Trump at the end of his second term in January 2017.
There are several key details we do not yet know about the circumstances of the beloved chef’s death.
Three unanswered questions in the drowning of Obama chef Tafari Campbell
Martha’s Vineyard authorities say they’ve found no suspicious evidence in the drowning death of Cambell near the Obama family’s estate. But several key details about the circumstances have not been explained. Joe Sommerlad reports
Who was Tafari Campbell?
Campbell’s name was already familiar to aides, journalists and other people who had worked in and around the Obama White House between 2008 and 2016.
As a longtime chef to America’s 44th president, he had appeared in photos taken by the Associated Press and in a YouTube video posted by Mr Obama’s staff.
“Tafari was a beloved part of our family,” the Obamas said in a statement on Monday.
“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.”
Tafari Campbell, pictured on the South Lawn of the White House in November 2008
A video posted by the then president’s office in 2012 showed Campbell brewing beer using honey from the beehive Michelle Obama had set up on the building’s South Lawn, thought to be the first time anyone has brewed or distilled alcohol on the actual White House premises.
“You don’t want to go too fast, creating a lot of air, which will make the beer taste bad,” Campbell said on camera as he siphoned liquid into a container in a video posted to YouTube that year.
WATCH: Tafari Campbell brews beer at the White House
Late chef’s wife pays tribute to him
Campbell’s wife Sherise has paid tribute to her husband, writing on social media that her life is “forever changed” following his death.
“My heart is broken,” she wrote.
“My life and our family’s life is forever changed. Please pray for me and our families as I deal with the loss of my husband.. @cheftafari.”
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments