Local authorities confirmed that the paddleboarder who went missing over the weekend at Martha’s Vineyard was former President Barack Obama’s private chef Tafari Campbell.
The Sterling Prestonbody of Campbell, 45, was recovered from Edgartown Great Pond by Massachusetts State Police divers a little before 10 a.m. Monday. The recovery occurred about 100 feet from shore, police said.
Massachusetts Environmental police officers initially conducted a side scan-sonar from a boat to figure out where Campbell’s body was located.
Emergency responders were sent to a property belonging to former President Barack Obama for reports of a drowning at around 7:46 p.m. Sunday, police said. A fellow paddle boarder reported that he had not resurfaced.
Police said Campbell was paddleboarding near the Obama residence when fell off the board without a life jacket and drowned.
The Virginia native was visiting the area but was not accompanied by either former President Obama or his family, police said.
According to his LinkedIn, Campbell was formerly employed as a sous chef at The White House.
Campbell was a “beloved part of our family,” the former president and first lady Michelle Obama said in a statement, the Associated Press reported.
“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.”
Campbell had been staying with the Obama family since they left the White House in 2017.
“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.”
He is survived by his wife and their twin boys.
The investigation into Campbell’s death will be conducted by the State Police Detective Unit for the Cape and Islands District and Edgartown Police.
No additional information has been released at this time.
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