Massachusetts authorities said that a body found dead near former President Obama’s Martha’s Vineyard residence is that of the family’s former chef.
In a news release Monday, Massachusetts State Police (MSP) said that authorities recovered the body of a missing paddleboarder from Edgartown Great Pond.
Divers from the department’s underwater recovery unit made the recovery after a body was located by the Massachusetts Environmental Police, who found it by deploying side-scan sonar from a boat.
MSP later identified the victim as Tafari Campbell, 45, who was previously employed by the former first family as a personal chef.
Campbell, a native of Dumfries, Va., was visiting the family’s Martha’s Vineyard residence at the time of his death.
Authorities noted that the Obamas were not home at the time of the incident.
In a joint statement, former President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama remembered Tafari as a “beloved part of our family,” noting when they first met the sous chef during their time at the White House.
“That’s why, when we were getting ready to leave the White House, we asked Tafari to stay with us, and he generously agreed,” the Obamas said in their statement, obtained by The Hill. “He’s been part of our lives ever since, and our hearts are broken that he’s gone.”
“Today we join everyone who knew and loved Tafari — especially his wife Sherise and their twin boys, Xavier and Savin — in grieving the loss of a truly wonderful man,” the Obamas added.
— Updated 11:42 a.m.