OAN’s Abril Elfi
1:15 PM – Wednesday, August 23, 2023
Officials have declared that the death of Obama’s personal chef was an accident.
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The autopsy of chef Tafari Campbell, 45, reportedly revealed as an “accidental drowning” by officials on Tuesday.
On July 23rd, Campbell was reportedly paddleboarding in Edgartown Great Pond in Martha’s Vineyard, which is located near the Obamas’ property, when another nearby paddleboarder allegedly saw him struggling in the water.
Authorities reported that the 45-year-old went under around 7:46 p.m. and did not resurface.
The body was recovered from the pond by professional divers shortly before 10 a.m. the following day.
“MSP Underwater Recovery Unit divers made the recovery after the victim’s body was located by Massachusetts Environmental Police Officers deploying side-scan sonar from a boat,” the department said in a release. “The recovery was made approximately 100 feet from shore at a depth of about eight feet.”
According to Timothy McGuirk, a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, the chef’s cause of death was determined to be an “accidental drowning due to submersion in a body of water.”
Campbell had worked for the former president and first lady for a number of years and was residing at Martha’s Vineyard at the time of his death.
On July 24th, the Obamas issued a joint statement in which they explained how they had invited Campbell to stay with them when they left the White House and how their “hearts are broken.”
“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,” the statement read. “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.”
Authorities emphasized that the initial investigation by the Massachusetts State Police found no evidence that Campbell’s death was suspicious, since investigators reportedly discovered no external trauma or injuries.
However, some online users who followed Campbell on social media platforms were perplexed by the tragic news, since he frequently posted images and videos of himself paddleboarding and participating in other water-related activities, appearing to be a competent swimmer.
Campbell is survived by his wife, Sherise Campbell, and their twin boys, Xavier and Savin.
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