Tafari Campbell, a Barack Obama employee who formerly worked as a chef in his White House, was found dead in a pond near the ex-president's home on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, on Monday.
The 45-year-old's body was recovered by police divers from Edgartown Great Pond after officers were alerted to a paddleboarder in distress on Sunday evening. The Obamas have paid tribute to "a beloved part of our family."
Campbell's death has parallels with that of Walter Scheib, an executive chef at the White House for 11 years under Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Scheib drowned in June 2015 while hiking in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains near Taos, in New Mexico.
The Massachusetts State Police (MSP) said that Campbell's body was discovered at a depth of about 8 feet, around 100 feet from the edge of the Edgartown Great Pond.
Authorities were first called about a paddleboarder in trouble at 7:46 p.m. on Sunday. Several agencies launched a search that resumed on Monday morning, with the assistance of divers, aerial support and a side-scan sonar system.
The MSP said Campbell had been with another paddleboarder when he got into trouble, and "appeared to briefly struggle to stay on the surface, and then submerged and did not resurface."
Campbell worked as a sous, or second in command, chef at the White House before being offered a job by Obama in 2017 when the president left office, which Campbell "generously agreed" to accept. Neither Barack or Michelle Obama was at their Martha's Vineyard home when the tragedy took place.
Scheib, aged 61, was reported missing on June 16, 2015 by his girlfriend after setting off on what authorities believe was a fishing trip three days earlier.
His body was found "submerged in a mountain drainage flowing with surface runoff" about 25 yards from the Yerba Canyon trail. It was hidden from view by "dense vegetation and a steep, rocky decline."
Thunderstorms hit the area as Scheib made his way down the Lobo Peak mountain. Incident commander Richard Goldstein said that water had been "running very fast" due to the weather.
The last cellular signal from Scheib's phone was detected at 3 p.m. on June 13, with rescue workers using helicopters, dogs and horses to assist in their search for his body. Police later said there was no indication that anyone else was involved in Scheib's death.
During a 2006 interview with The Washington Post about his work in the White House, Scheib said: "I loved working for the Bushes and the Clintons. It's the greatest honor a chef can have to work for the First families."
The chef went on to appear on the Food Network's Iron Chef, and co-wrote a book titled White House Chef: Eleven Years, Two Presidents, One Kitchen.
The Obamas paid tribute to Campbell in a statement following his death: "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."
After Campbell's death was confirmed, a wave of conspiracy theories hit social media. A number of prominent right-wing Twitter accounts have questioned the authorities' version of events, despite failing to provide notable evidence to the contrary.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Bickerton is a Newsweek U.S. News reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is covering U.S. politics and world ... Read more
