Autopsy Rules Obama Chef’s Death as Accidental Drowning

White House chef Tafari Campbell smiles on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Nov. 6, 2008. Ron Edmonds/AP Photo

An autopsy into the death of former President Barack Obama’s chef Tafari Campbell has concluded that the tragedy was an accident, even as authorities show hesitancy to reveal more information about the incident.

Mr. Campbell’s death was determined to have been caused by accidental drowning from submersion in water, Timothy McGuirk, a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, said to Fox News.

On July 23, Mr. Campbell disappeared while paddleboarding in the Edgartown Great Pond on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, where President Obama’s estate is located. Following an extensive search, his body was discovered the next morning. However, the recent update regarding Mr. Campbell’s death leaves many questions unanswered.

On July 23, Mr. Campbell had gone out to paddleboard with another person at around 7 p.m. After he fell into the water, the chef struggled to stay afloat. He eventually went under around 7:46 p.m. and did not resurface.

The female paddleboarder who was with him tried to locate him but was unsuccessful, said state police spokesperson David Procopio, according to AP. She is then said to have swum ashore and told a third individual about the incident, who proceeded to call 911 and alert authorities.

The female paddleboarder, who is a witness to the accident, and the identity of the person who called 911 have not been publicly identified.

Authorities have rejected requests for such details, with the state citing a Public Records Law exemption which allows police to withhold information they deem could jeopardize an active investigation.

However, Justin Silverman, executive director of the New England First Amendment Coalition, dismisses such arguments. “The burden is on law enforcement to show how their investigation may be jeopardized by releasing certain information,” he said in an interview with Daily Mail.

“And they’re not doing that right now. This really flies in the face of Public Records Law.”

When asked about information regarding the 911 call, the Dukes County Sheriff’s Office, which fielded the call, told the outlet that “at this time, we will not be releasing any recordings or materials.” The office cited Public Records Law to justify its denial.

As to the autopsy report, Mr. McGuirk stated that the state of Massachusetts does not release the results of an autopsy to the public.

The Epoch Times has reached out to Edgartown Police Department for more details.

Lingering Questions

In an Aug. 23 post on X, Collin Rugg, investor and co-owner of Trending Politics, raised concerns about the investigation into Mr. Campbell’s death.

“Many questions remain unanswered after the mysterious drowning, including why police call logs were left blank despite every other 911 call being documented the evening of his death,” he said.

U.S. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama wait for their daughters Malia and Sasha to board Marine One at Martha's Vineyard airport in Edgartown, Mass., on Aug. 21, 2016. Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images

Some have questioned how Mr. Campbell could have drowned, as videos posted online show that Mr. Campbell was a trained swimmer.

On July 25, the Massachusetts State Police said that Mr. Campbell was standing on the paddleboard when he lost balance and fell into the water. He was not wearing a personal flotation and was not connected to the paddleboard when the accident happened.

“Barring any further significant developments, which are not expected at this time, the State Police will provide no further updates on Mr. Campbell’s tragic passing,” the state police had told news outlets at the time.

Mr. Campbell was visiting Martha’s Vineyard at the time of his death. The Obamas were not at their residence when the tragedy happened, the police stated.

Mr. Campbell isn’t the sole former White House chef to drown in recent years. Back in 2015, Walter Schieb, who worked as a chef under the Bush and Clinton administrations, had drowned while hiking in New Mexico.

The White House Chef

Mr. Campbell, 45, was from Dumfries, Virginia. A culinary school graduate, he ran his own restaurant for a brief time before applying for a job at the White House.

During his term as a sous chef at the White House, he cooked food for two presidents—Barack Obama and George W. Bush. After President Obama completed his second term in 2017, Mr. Campbell left the White House to work for the former president.

Following his death, the Obamas released a statement saying that Mr. Campbell was “a beloved part of our family,” calling him 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.”

Mr. Campbell was married to a chef, Sherise Campbell, who runs her own catering and baking company called Sweet Sage. He is survived by sons Savin and Xavier, who are both young adults.

The waters in which Mr. Campbell drowned, Edgartown Great Pond, spans 890 acres. President Obama’s 6,892-foot mansion is located at the edge of the pond.

It was bought by the former president for $11.75 million in 2019. Prior to President Obama, the estate was owned by Wycliffe Grousbeck, who owns the Boston Celtics.