DUKES COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS: Tafari Campbell, the personal chef of the Obamas, died at the age of 45 after allegedly drowning during a paddleboarding excursion on Sunday, July 23. His body was recovered from eight-foot-deep waters on Monday, July 24, nearly 100 feet from the shore of a Martha's Vineyard property owned by the former US president and his family.
The nature of Campbell's shocking death came under scrutiny after videos of the chef confidently swimming laps as part of his "endurance" training made the rounds online, Hello Magazine reported. The footage shared on Campbell's Instagram under a highlight labeled "fitness" showed that he was not only an extraordinary culinary expert but also a proficient swimmer. One of his swimming videos was even shared with the hashtag "#survivalskills," raising questions regarding the circumstances of his death.
How did Tafari Campbell drown?
Campbell reportedly went to enjoy paddleboarding on Edgartown Great Pond, Massachusetts, on the evening of July 23. He suddenly disappeared during the excursion and was reportedly struggling to stay afloat on the waters before vanishing beneath the surface around 7.46 pm, eyewitnesses mentioned. "He was struggling to stay afloat before he submerged," an unnamed witness said.
The eyewitnesses' accounts ultimately sparked a joint-agency search which ended with the discovery of Campbell's body on June 24. State police issued an official statement about the incident and said Campbell went "into the water, appeared to briefly struggle to stay on the surface, and then submerged and did not resurface." However, Campbell's proficiency as a swimmer sparked several online conspiracy theories related to his death.
Mark Wallace took to Twitter to write, "Tafari Campbell (Obama’s private Chef who drowned today) may not have been the best swimmer… but this video shows he was more than capable of swimming the distance of a small pond with still water! What really happened here? Drunk? Drugged? Murdered? RELEASE THE FOOTAGE!!!" Twitter user Shelley @/ProudArmymom66 shared a similar video and wrote, "Here is Tafari Campbell swimming. How did he down in 8 ft of water in the pond outside Obama's Martha Vineyard home?"
'He can swim well enough to make it back to shore'
"He could have just grabbed onto the board after he fell off. It looks like he can swim well enough to make it back to shore. And if he couldn't swim why be out there without a life vest. That makes no sense," someone else tweeted. "I figured if he could swim then the accident would seem more suspicious," another added.
"HES DOING BACKSTROKE!!!!!!! This means he was a GOOD SWIMMER, not average Or below average!!!!!! Guy can swim!!!!" one exclaimed. "Suspicious," another simply wrote. "NO ONE GOES PADDLE BOARDING IF THEY DON’T KNOW HOW TO SWIM. PERIOD." someone commented. One said, "This has SUS written all over it!" while another mentioned, "People can joke, but if you know, this is creepy as hell."
