Barack and Michelle Obama pay tribute to personal chef Tafari Campbell after he drowned while paddleboarding in pond at $12M Martha’s Vineyard home – as cops still withhold information about his death
- Former first couple paid heartfelt tributes to Tafari Campbell, 45
- Campbell drowned just off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard on July 25
Barack and Michelle Obama have paid moving tributes to their personal chef who drowned while paddleboarding in eight feet of water near their Martha’s Vineyard home.
Sharing a photo of himself and the former first lady with tragic Tafari Campbell on Instagram, the former president wrote: ‘Tafari Campbell showed us what true character looks like.
‘He believed that actions speak louder than words. And he used his immense gifts to bring people together, provide comfort, and spread joy. I’ll miss him every day.’
Michelle shared a similar snap of herself posing with Campbell and Obama in the White House, and wrote: ‘I will miss my friend, Tafari…the emptiness is hard. But I promise to stay strong, keep living, and honor your legacy in every way possible. Rest in peace, my brother.’
Former President Barack Obama has shared a touching tribute to his personal chef Tafari Campbell, who drowned off Martha’s Vineyard July 25. Campbell worked as White House chef before leaving the hallowed address to work for the 44th president and his wife
Michelle Obama shared this tribute to personal chef Tafari Campbell on Instagram Thursday
Campbell was found dead close to the Obamas’ Martha’s Vineyard home on July 25.
He had served as their personal chef in the White House, and left to continue working with the couple at the end of Obama’s second term in 2016.
Martha’s Vineyard Police have concluded Campbell’s drowning was an accident.
But earlier today, DailyMail.com revealed cops are still withholding basic information about the probe under the guise of an ‘ongoing investigation.’
Cops have opted to not disclose both the identity of the sole witness to the accident – an unidentified woman paddleboarding with Campbell – as well as who made the 911 call to report that he was drowning.
The state is citing a Public Records Law exemption that allows police to withhold any information that could jeopardize an active investigation.
But the head of the region’s First Amendment coalition told DailyMail.com that police are abusing that law, given they’ve already ruled out foul play.
The only matter pending is a toxicology report that could show whether Campbell had drugs in his system or suffered some sort of medical episode.
‘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 are making sure that other agencies involved in the response follow their lead.
The former first lady also shared a snap of Campbell showing off some of his culinary creations while dressed in his chef’s whites
Chef Tafari Campbell’s July 23 drowning death near the Obamas’ Martha’s Vineyard estate was ruled an accident but police continue to withhold information
The state medical examiner’s office did the autopsy on Tafari, finding no trauma to the body or any other evidence the death was suspicious
The initial call came in at 7.46pm on Sunday July 23, when police and fire agencies responded to the report that Campbell, an Obama employee who lives 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. They wouldn’t even release the gender of the witness, or the 911 caller.
Police declared early on that Campbell’s death was an accident, stating the 45-year-old was out with another paddle boarder who tried to save him. The person then summoned help from someone who called 911, police said. DailyMail.com revealed that the other paddle boarder is a woman.
But authorities have refused to identify her or the 911 caller who is believed to be a member of Obama’s Secret Service detail.
Meanwhile, Martha’s Vineyard police even left the reason for the emergency call blank in official logs from the night of the incident. The reason for every other call that night is given.
Sources who participated in the initial multi-jurisdictional effort told DailyMail.com that state police have even armed departments with rejection letters to send to the media, which has been bombarding agencies with questions.
Campbell had been paddle boarding with a woman, another Obama staff member, when he fell off his board and drowned in Edgartown’s Great Pond on July 23
The Dukes County Sheriff’s Office, which fielded the original 911 call, sent DailyMail.com a cut-and-paste message Tuesday 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.
‘State police are investigating, and we can’t release information.’
Another public safety officer involved in the initial investigation told DailyMail.com that, ‘State police sent out those templates for us to use too.
‘It’s driving me absolutely nuts because it’s making it seem like there’s something going on, when there’s not,’ the source said. ‘As far as I know, some poor guy went out on a paddle board, and he wasn’t a great swimmer and he drowned.
‘I know the optics of this look like it could be a lot more than that,’ the source continued. ‘I see what makes this a story. I know this has the recipe for a conspiracy.
‘But from what I have seen, there’s no drama to this. If you guys just had everything, you’d see there’s really nothing to this and move on. Instead, you’re left with what appears like a mystery.’
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