A sweet boat ride in the calm waters amidst serene nature; in such a relaxing aesthetic…what could possibly go wrong?
On July 24, Monday, authorities recovered a body of a paddleboarder from the Edgartown Great Pond, as confirmed by the Police. Later the body was identified as Tafari Campbel, who served as the White House chef.
The investigation ruled the cause of death as drowning in the brackish coastal pond on the South Shore of Martha’s Vineyard, in the quaint land of Massachusetts. The Obamas own an $11.75 million mansion on 29.3 waterfront acres near the Edgartown Great Pond.
On Sunday evening, Police received a call from a witness reporting a male paddleboarder “who had gone into the water, appeared to briefly struggle to stay on the surface, and then submerged.” According to the witness, he did not resurface. On Monday, his body was found “approximately 100 feet (30 meters) from shore at a depth of about eight feet”.
Who is the White House Chef, and why was he present in that estate? Let us deduce the facts.
Who Is Tafari Campbell?
White House Chef is a coveted title enjoyed by a select few. Tafari Campell first entered the federal gates as a sous chef, serving George W. Bush’s administration. He later became a close associate of the Obamas, serving the former president’s two-term presidency.
Several reports show Mr. Campbell was well-known for creating the most famous presidential recipes. He was particularly renowned for creating honey ale beer brewed from homegrown ingredients at the White House. Mr. Barack declared the beer to be his favorite!
After his term ended, the former president himself invited Chef Tafari to be the personal Chef for the Obamas. Mr. Campbell accepted the kind invitation and has been traveling with the family wherever they were.
Michelle Obama, the former first lady, penned a statement regarding the beloved Chef’s untimely death–
“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.”
“That’s why, when we were getting ready to leave the White House, we asked Tafari to stay with us, and he generously agreed. He’s been part of our lives ever since, and our hearts are broken that he’s gone.”
Tafari Campbell is married to his wife Sherise, who also works in culinary arts. Together they have twin sons, Xavier and Savin.
Where Is Tafari Campbell From?
The 45-year-old Chef was born in Dumfries, Virginia. Not much information is available on his early days, but a 2009 article revealed that he attended culinary school in Virginia.
Campbell ran his own restaurant in Virginia before being recruited at the White House. Whereas his wife Sherise owns Sweet Sage Baking and Catering, which operates in northern Virginia and Washington D.C.
White House Chef Tafari Campbell Conspiracy Explained
Before getting into the conspiracy, which of the quotes would you rather believe? –
“Once is a chance, twice is a coincidence,” or “Once is mystery, twice is a history.”
Although the official investigation concluded on accidental drowning, the internet has collectively jumped down the rabbit hole.
The netizens believe the parallels are too uncanny to ignore the conspiracy theory.
During the Clinton administration, First Lady Hillary Clinton hired Chef Walter Scheib.
In a similar turn of events, Chef Walter Scheib met an untimely demise by drowning in New Mexico in 2015.
Moreover, people dug out a video that exhibits Chef Tafari could swim and promote a healthy lifestyle– implying that it could have been implausible and suspicious circumstances for him to drown.
Some reports suggested that Chef drowned under Obama’s estate on Martha’s Vineyard.
While some netizens raised suspicion on “floating” reports that the Obamas were actually present in the estate at the time of the incident.
This one post denotes the entire conspiracy theory behind Chef’s suspicious death–
UPDATE BY MASACUSTTES STATE POLICE ON TUESDAY
“The investigation into the death of Tafari Campbell, 45, of Virginia, who was recovered from Edgartown Great Pond on Monday, as well as an initial post-mortem examination by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, found no evidence that the death was suspicious.”
“The on-scene observation of the victim by State Police personnel and the post-mortem examination by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner revealed no external trauma or injuries.”
Note: There was no blunt force trauma on him, as stated in the conspiracy theory.
“An interview of the paddle boarder who was with Mr. Campbell indicates that Mr. Campbell was standing on his paddle board, lost his balance, and fell into the water, then struggled to stay afloat but could not do so.
“He was not wearing a personal flotation device and was not leashed to the paddle board. The fellow paddleboarder tried to swim to Mr. Campbell’s location but did not reach him in time.”
One of the primary reasons why Mr.Campbell drowned was the lack of precautionary measures.
“The other paddle boarder then swam to shore and notified a person on the shore of what had happened. That person placed a 911 call to the Dukes County Regional Emergency Communications Center, which initiated an immediate emergency search and rescue response by numerous public safety agencies.”
Contrary to popular internet theory, the call was not made from the Obamas’ estate in Martha’s Vineyard. And Mr. Campbell was found in an 890 acre of Edgartown Great Pond, which is far away from the residence.
Moreover, the estate hosts several A-list celebrities like former first lady Jackie Kennedy, Clintons, Bill Murray, Michael J. Fox, Spike Lee, Diane Sawyer, and Oprah Winfrey.
“The police investigation and post-mortem examination are completed except for receipt of toxicology results, which is a standard procedure in all autopsies that generally takes several weeks to complete.”
Let us wait for this report to debunk the “drugged” theory as well.
“Barring any further significant developments, which are not expected at this time, the State Police will provide no further updates on Mr Campbell’s tragic passing.”
Earlier this month, the Obamas were again embroiled in a potential terrorism threat by one of the J6 rioters.
A countertheory to the online conspiracy theory could be that the Obamas are targeted, and an innocent chef lost his life. But again, the Police have reported no suspicious circumstance of the Chef’s death.
So we pay respect to Chef Tafari and his family by respecting their privacy and not brewing any more theories.
What is your take on this case? Do you suspect any foul play? What’s your verdict– coincidence or planned? Let us know in the comments section below.
