(Daily Mail) The death of Barack Obama’s personal chef while paddleboarding in Martha’s Vineyard has been ruled an accident, a state official has said.
Tafari Campbell, 45, visited the resort island in late July and was on Edgartown Great Pond near the former president’s summer home.
He was seen going under the water, sparking a two-day search for his body.
Timothy McGuirk, from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, said on Tuesday the cause of death was drowning and an accident.
But the update has left numerous unanswered questions, not least surrounding the identity of the female paddleboarder who was with him and the identity of the 911 caller from the Obamas’ home and what they said.
McGuirk also said that Massachusetts does not release autopsy results to the public – the accident ruling was all that was released by the authorities on Tuesday night.
The death of former U.S. President Barack Obama’s personal chef Tafari Campbell (center) while paddleboarding in the Massachusetts resort community of Martha’s Vineyard has been ruled as an accident
Tafari Campbell had been a sous chef at the White House and came to work for the family after Obama completed his second term in 2017
The Obama residence is seen at Martha’s Vineyard. Tafari Campbell, 45, visited the resort island in late July and was paddleboarding near the Obamas’ summer home
Campbell had been a sous chef at the White House and came to work for the family after Obama completed his second term in 2017.
Campbell had visited Martha’s Vineyard several times, playing golf on several occasions at the nearby Farm Neck Golf Club.
Witnesses first told cops at the time 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 paddleboarding on Edgartown Great Pond with Campbell.
A massive joint-agency search was launched when a 911 call was made from the Obamas’ Martha’s Vineyard home on Turkeyland Cove Road.
The dispatch call said: ‘Edgartown Fire and Water rescue personnel, Turkeyland Cove Road. For a 40-year-old male, possible drowning.’
In the aftermath of the call, Chief Alex Schaeffer of the Edgartown Fire Department told the Vineyard Gazette, island police and firefighters conducted door-to-door searches. Firefighters also searched the pond’s shoreline on foot.
Campbell worked while the Obama’s were in the White House from 2009-2017
Campbell (seen a video produced by the White House) became a ‘beloved member’ of the Obama household
Campbell is seen in the background of an interview the Today Show’s Savannah Guthrie conducted with the former president at the White House
Following the news of Campbell’s untimely passing, his wife Sherise shared this photo to Instagram noting she was ‘heartbroken’
The chef would frequent the Edgartown Meat and Fish Market in Martha’s Vineyard. He is pictured here with his family
The search efforts resumed two days later for the chef, who was last seen wearing all black without a lifejacket.
His paddle board and hat were recovered Sunday – and his body was found later in the eight-foot-deep waters approximately 100ft away from shore.
In a statement following his death, the Obamas said Campbell was 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.’
The update from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security has left numerous questions unanswered.
Authorities have routinely rejected requests for even basic facts, including the identity of the sole witness and the 911 caller.
The state cited a Public Records Law exemption that allowed police to withhold any information that could jeopardize an active investigation.
Pictured: Edgartown Great Pond. The scene of the desperate search for Campbell was launched after a paddleboarder went missing in the water off Martha’s Vineyard on Sunday
The recovery mission was just yards away from former President Obama’s Massachusetts seven-bedroom home – a 6,892-square-foot mansion right near the water (pictured)
But the head of the region’s First Amendment coalition told DailyMail.com cops were abusing that law, given they’ve ruled out foul play.
‘The burden is on law enforcement to show how their investigation may be jeopardized by releasing certain information,’ said Justin Silverman, executive director of the New England First Amendment Coalition.
‘And they’re not doing that right now. This really flies in the face of Public Records Law.’
State police officials also made sure other agencies involved in the response followed their lead.
Sources who participated in the initial multi-jurisdictional effort told DailyMail.com that state police armed departments with rejection letters to send to the media.
The Dukes County Sheriff’s Office, which fielded the 911 call, sent DailyMail.com a cut-and-paste message when asked for information about the call.
‘Hello. At this time, we will not be releasing any recordings or materials,’ the message read, and cited the state Public Records Law, noting it exempts the release of records that ‘would probably so prejudice the possibility of effective law enforcement that such disclosure would not be in the public interest.’
‘The exemption allows investigative officials to withhold materials that could compromise investigative efforts if disclosed,’ the letter adds.
The supervisor of communications for the sheriff’s office refused to budge when pressed by DailyMail.com.
‘Sorry, I’m trying to abide by the law,’ Maj. Susan Schofield said. ‘Obviously, we’re getting a lot of requests and we don’t like to not give out information, but we can’t.’
A view of Obama’s house from Turkeyland Cove where Campbell worked as the Obama’s personal chef
