Crime & Safety
Obama Employee From Virginia Dies In MA Paddleboard Incident
Tafari Campbell, 45, worked as a cook for the Obama family at their Martha's Vineyard home. Campbell was from northern Virginia.
MARTHA'S VINEYARD, MA — A 45-year-old Virginia man who died while paddleboarding on Martha's Vineyard worked as a cook for the Obama family at their estate there, according to Massachusetts state police.
Tafari Campbell, 45, went missing just before 8 p.m. Sunday after venturing out into Great Pond on a paddleboard. Witnesses saw him struggling near the surface of the water before he went under. A large search was launched Sunday and continued Monday morning, according to state police.
"Campbell was employed by former President Obama 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," state police said in an update Monday evening.
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The pond is in Edgartown in the southeast part of the island. Campbell was from Dumfries, Va.
The Obamas bought their Martha's Vineyard home in 2020 for $11.75 million. The home sites on 30 acres along Great Pond between Slough Cove and Turkeyland Cove.
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