Police have declared the recent Death of former President Barack Obamaâs personal chef an accident, but the mystery appears to be deepening.
In a feature labeled âexclusive,â the U.K. Daily Mail reported that local police are ârejecting requests for even basic facts, including the identity of the sole witness and the 911 caller,â in the case involving Tafari Campbell, who reportedly drowned while paddle boarding July 23 near the Obama estate.
The former presidentâs property, located on the Massachusetts island of Marthaâs Vineyard, borders Edgartown Great Pond, an 890-acre body of water connected to the Atlantic Ocean.
Authorities cited an exemption to a public records law that allows them to âwithhold any information that could jeopardize an active Investigation,â the Mail reported.
But since foul play has already been ruled out, the only issue remaining is the result of a toxicology report.
Unnamed sources told the outlet that state police provided other law enforcement agencies with pre-drafted rejection letters to send to media organizations asking for additional information.
âItâs driving me absolutely nuts because itâs making it seem like thereâs something going on, when thereâs not,â an unnamed public safety officer told the Daily Mail. âAs far as I know, some poor guy went out on a paddle board, and he wasnât a great swimmer, and he drowned.
âI know the optics of this look like it could be a lot more than that. I see what makes this a story. I know this has the recipe for a conspiracy,â the source continued.
âBut from what I have seen, thereâs no drama to this. If you guys just had everything, youâd see thereâs really nothing to this and move on. Instead, youâre left with what appears like a mystery.â
Not surprisingly, members of the media are skeptical.
For example, some might question the statement about Campbell not being âa great swimmer.â
The Washington Post said one of Campbellâs Instagram accounts documented âhis everyday interests and passions: swimming, fitness, cooking and family.â
The social media accounts have been made private since the chefâs Death, according to the outlet, but the Daily Mail published a screen capture they said was from a video on Campbellâs account, showing a man identified as the chef swimming in a lap pool wearing swim fins.
âFreestyle into a backstroke with arms. #survivalskills,â read the caption superimposed over the photo.
According to the Post, authorities quoted âa fellow paddle boarderâ as saying the 45-year-old âlost his balance and fell offâ his paddle board on the Edgartown Great Pond.
Once he was in the water, Campbell reportedly âappeared to briefly struggle to stay on the surface, and then submerged and did not resurface.â
Paddleboards often have a âleashâ that tethers the board to the userâs ankle. Campbell was not using such a device when he went into the water, according to the report.
Police said he was not wearing a life jacket either, the Mail reported.
The fellow paddle boarder â the Daily Mail reported it was a female who was âanother Obama staff memberâ â âsummoned help from someone who called 911.â
The report said the 911 caller âis believed to be a member of Obamaâs Secret Service detail.â
Multiple police and fire agencies were called in, and they spent the night searching the water and nearby land for the missing chef.
Campbellâs body was recovered about 10 a.m. the next morning, in 8 feet of water, the Daily Mail reported.
The Obamas were not home at the time of the incident, USA Today reported this week.
That outlet published a âfact checkâ article in response to a widely circulated social media post that ran with a picture showing the former president with what appeared to be a black eye and bandaged fingers. Some of the accompanying comments insinuated he may have had something to do with Campbellâs Death.
The article denied that previously published versions of the photo in question showed an injury to the former presidentâs eye.
âAs for his fingers, itâs a common practice for golfers to tape their fingers to protect from blisters while they play,â the outlet reported.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
