According to a Daily Mail report, Tafari Campbell, Barack Obama’s personal chef, was paddle boarding with a female staff member of Barack Obama when he reportedly drowned near Obama’s Martha’s Vineyard estate.
The outlet said the woman was on a separate paddle board and unsuccessfully tried to reach Campbell after he fell into the water.
She reportedly returned to the shore pleading for help.
The outlet also said a Secret Service agent called emergency services from Obama’s residence.
BREAKING: Barack Obama's Chef Tafari Campbell was paddle-boarding with a female Obama employee who tried to help him when he fell off and tragically drowned in Martha's Vineyard
Read: https://t.co/ouqmHqH3he
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) July 31, 2023
However, the woman has not been identified.
When police reportedly spoke with her, she was devastated but sober, according to the report.
Many details about the incident remain unclear, including the missing reason for the 911 call from the police call logs.
Daily Mail reports:
The initial call came in 7:46pm, when police and fire agencies responded to the report that 45-year-old Campbell, an Obama employee who lived in Virginia, had fallen off his paddle board, briefly struggled to stay afloat and then went under.
State police reported that there was another paddle boarder on the pond with Campbell who saw him drown.
Sources tell DailyMail.com that the witness spoke with police at the scene and described her as devastated but also apparently clear-headed and sober.
The multi-agency search continued into the night, with fire companies from across the island descending on Edgartown's Great Pond with boats and divers, along with Massachusetts state police, the Dukes County Sheriff's Department and Coast Guard.
The witness directed rescuers to one area where Campbell was thought to have gone under.
Are you buying the official story?
Some social media users commented on their skepticism about the details reported thus far.
Here’s the first picture of Barack Obama since his personal chef Tafari Campbell mysteriously “drowned” at the Obama’s family house on Marthas Vineyard.
Take a close look... There are bandages all over his fingers and his left eye appears to be bruised. It looks like Barack was… pic.twitter.com/iJTRT0NzY0
— The Trump Train 🚂🇺🇸 (@The_Trump_Train) July 29, 2023
WLTR noted the surfaced photos of Obama spotted with a black eye and an array of bandages on his hands.
It appeared he got into an altercation with someone.
The 'official' reason for the bandages on his fingers was to improve his golf grip.
Cont. from Daily Mail:
The drowning has been determined to be a tragic accident. There were no signs of foul play. Toxicology testing is pending.
The water was just eight feet deep where Campbell was found. Police said he was not wearing a life preserver and was not leashed to his board.
He did however know how to swim, as evidenced by a video he'd posted on social media of himself swimming laps.
The lack of public information has led to widespread speculation and let conspiracy theories run wild.
Sasha and Malia Obama flew from the island on Tuesday, while the former president and First Lady, spending their summer at their $12million estate, resumed some of their normal activities.
On Friday, Michelle Obama spent her morning playing tennis at the local Farm Neck country club, while her husband hit the links at the members-only Vineyard Golf Club.
The former president wore bandages on fingers on his left hand – but they are believed to be to improve his grip rather than a sign of any injury.
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