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UPDATE: Man Found Dead Near Barack Obama’s Martha’s Vineyard Estate IDENTIFIED

A body was found Monday in a frantic search for a paddleboarder who went missing at Edgartown Great Pond, Massachusetts.

The paddleboarder reportedly drowned in the pond located on the South Shore of Martha’s Vineyard.

Emergency crews were dispatched to Obama’s Martha’s Vineyard residence.

JUST IN: Emergency Crews Dispatched to Barack Obama’s Martha’s Vineyard Estate Sunday Night

In a breaking update, Tafari Campbell, Barack Obama's personal chef, has been identified as the man found dead in the water near Obama's Martha's Vineyard estate.

Read below from reports earlier on Monday:

According to the Daily Mail, the paddleboarder, 43, went missing in the water that backs onto Barack Obama’s $12 million Martha’s Vineyard estate.

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“The 43-year-old vanished on Sunday evening while he was out with another paddleboarder on Edgartown Great Pond, Massachusetts, and emergency crews were dispatched to Obama’s residence,” Daily Mail writes.

Witnesses said the paddleboarder struggled to stay afloat and submerged beneath the water around 7:46 p.m.

Fox News provided details in this breaking news report:

Daily Mail reports:

A massive joint-agency search resumed Monday morning for the African American male who was last seen wearing all black without a lifejacket, MV Times reported.

His paddle board and hat were recovered Sunday – and his body was found in the eight-foot-deep waters approximately 100 feet away from shore at 10am Monday.

The dispatch address for the incident came from Obama’s Martha’s waterfront Vineyard home. It is unclear if the former president, 61, is currently staying at the estate.

Massachusetts State Police said: ‘Shortly before 10 AM the body of the missing paddle boarder was recovered from Edgartown Great Pond by Massachusetts State Police divers.

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‘MSP Underwater Recovery Unit divers made the recovery after the victim’s body was located by a Massachusetts Environmental Police Officers deploying side-scan sonar from a boat.

‘As previously noted, the victim is a 43-year-old male. His name is not being released at this time; we expect to release his name later today.

‘The recovery was made approximately 100 feet from shore at a depth of about eight feet.

‘The investigation into the fatality is being conducted by the State Police Detective Unit for the Cape and Islands District and Edgartown Police.’

“EPD is assisting multiple agencies searching for a missing adult male paddle boarder in Edgartown Great Pond. Please remain away from this area and allow emergency responders to perform their search,” Edgartown Police tweeted late Sunday evening.

UPDATE

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Campbell worked as White House Sous Chef during the Obama administration.

According to the Chicago Sun Times, Campbell worked for the Obamas when they left the White House.

The body of the former White House sous chef who worked for ex-President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle was recovered Monday in the waters near their Martha’s Vineyard estate, Massachusetts police said.

Tafari Campbell, 45, known as one of the chefs who brewed White House honey ale beer while Obama was in office — using honey from Michelle Obama’s famous South Lawn garden — went to work for the former first couple when they left the White House.

In a statement, the Obamas said of 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.

Today we join everyone who knew and loved Tafari — especially his wife Sherise and their twin boys, Xavier and Savin — in grieving the loss of a truly wonderful man.”

The Obama’s have been spending part of the summer in Martha’s Vineyard for years.

Massachusetts State Police said Campbell was from Dumfries, Va., and “was visiting Martha’s Vineyard at the time of his passing. President and Mrs. Obama were not present at the residence at the time of the accident.”

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Daily Mail added:

Witnesses first told cops on Sunday night 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 paddle boarding on Edgartown Great Pond with Campbell.

A massive joint-agency search was launched when a 911 call was made from the Obama's Martha's Vineyard home on Turkeyland Cove Road.

The search resumed Monday morning for the venerated chef who was last seen wearing all black without a lifejacket.

His paddle board and hat were recovered Sunday - and his body was found around 10am in the eight-foot-deep waters approximately 100 feet away from shore at 10am Monday.

The dispatch address for the incident came from Obama's Martha's waterfront Vineyard home. It is unclear if the former president, 61, is currently staying at the estate.

This is a breaking news story.

We'll provide further details as they become available. 


 

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