As you can see in my post at that link, I supplied links to a topo map of Edgartown Pond as well as a depth chart for the pond that was produced by the Massachusetts State government. Together, they seem to prove that the claim Tafari drowned in 8 feet of water just a 100 feet from shore can’t be true. In fact, the two charts indicate that the water is no more than a few feet depth anywhere around the pond just 100 feet from shore. So only if Tafari happened to fall in some huge, unusual hole is it possible that he drowned in 8 feet of water 100 feet from shore, and no source whatsoever has suggested he happened to drown in an unusual hole.
I also supplied information from a Secret Service report that would allow the possibility that he drowned somewhat farther from shore than 100 feet, Specially, the incident report by Secret Service agent John Crunkilton, Jr (at this link: https://www.judicialwatch.org/documents/jw-v-dhs-secret-service-obama-chef-records-03194/ ) states that Ms Taylor told him that after the drowning, she paddled “50 to 75 yards” to shore to get help. That’s 150 to 225 ft. The Crunkilton report also notes the location of the drowning was about a “quarter mile” from the Obama estate. That 1500 feet. Once can use the topo map and depth chart I linked to show that 1500 to the north of the estate (it’s shallower to the south) the water 200 feet from shore is at most 4-5 feet deep. That’s still a huge conflict with the claimed 8 feet, and it’s still difficult to imagine a good swimmer, who was nearly 6 feet tall, drowning in just 4-5 feet of water, even if it was "murky".
Now I want to say that your article contains some additional useful information that I haven’t seen and you make some good points. For example, I didn’t know that Ms Taylor may have been a Secret Service agent. Also, I didn’t realize that a Secret Service Agent named Guglielmi wrote a report claiming he “walked in the water … snip … near the point of the incident."
You also entertain the notion that since the autopsy report has not been released (which is VERY strange), "trauma (such as hitting his head on the board or something else) ... snip ... would fully explain how Campbell might have fallen off the board and just sank unconscious". But this AP article (https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-obama-chef-drowning-vineyard-452209903189 ) ruled out head trauma, stating that the "Massachusetts State Police reiterated Monday that Tafari Campbell did not sustain any head wounds". They were, in fact, debunking internet claims to the contrary.
Reuters also published an article (https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL1N39Q1NZ/) titled "No evidence of trauma found on body of Obama’s chef" that stated "Massachusetts State Police spokesperson David Procopio said in an email that claims of any trauma observed on Campbell are false", quoting him saying “No trauma or external injuries were observed by detectives on scene” and "the medical examiner found none during their physical post-mortem exam.” So I think we can rule that out ... unless, again, the authorities are lying to us.
All that said, I want to applaud you again for keeping this story alive in a well written article. Something is definitely hinky about Campbell's death. Something is hinky about the authorities refusing to release the autopsy, hiding the exact location where the body was found, and making depth of water claims that hard evidence suggests are false. And if they're withholding the autopsy because it showed alcohol or drugs present, that still doesn't explain the depth inconsistencies.
Thanks for your comments and information. The most alarming thing to me in the little cache of emails Judicial Watch got via FOIA was the fact that among only a modest amount of retractions of names.... they blacked out the depth of the water. Now maybe there is a reason to do this, as maybe it was an estimate by the officers on the scene and not an official number. Nevertheless, they could have easily said "about 8 feet" or whatever.
It makes me think that the depth of water casts an odd light on the events.
It appears that Campbell drowned relatively close to shore and that one agent walked to near the scene of the incident... but it took divers and sonar to find the body. That almost seems like the pond was shallow and then got deep very quickly. I've seen this kind of undersea topography in gulfs and oceans, not sure why a pond would have it.
The other thing that seems suspicious is that Campbell fell off his board and slipped into the water, then struggled "for a few seconds" and disappeared. Even a person who can't swim is going to thrash around for a while and, if he can, cry out. A person at imminent risk of drowning is going to go into "fight or flight" which would manifest in this situation as thrashing around. On top of that, Campbell could swim. So what was stopping him from at least keep his head above water till his companion could reach the paddleboard over to him? There was no undercurrent or anything like that, the water was basically still.
Hi, I previously contacted you the last time a story on Tafari Campbell’s death was posted. My post concerned the depth of water issue. You can find it here: https://joannlequang.substack.com/p/tafari-campbell-and-the-case-of-the .
As you can see in my post at that link, I supplied links to a topo map of Edgartown Pond as well as a depth chart for the pond that was produced by the Massachusetts State government. Together, they seem to prove that the claim Tafari drowned in 8 feet of water just a 100 feet from shore can’t be true. In fact, the two charts indicate that the water is no more than a few feet depth anywhere around the pond just 100 feet from shore. So only if Tafari happened to fall in some huge, unusual hole is it possible that he drowned in 8 feet of water 100 feet from shore, and no source whatsoever has suggested he happened to drown in an unusual hole.
I also supplied information from a Secret Service report that would allow the possibility that he drowned somewhat farther from shore than 100 feet, Specially, the incident report by Secret Service agent John Crunkilton, Jr (at this link: https://www.judicialwatch.org/documents/jw-v-dhs-secret-service-obama-chef-records-03194/ ) states that Ms Taylor told him that after the drowning, she paddled “50 to 75 yards” to shore to get help. That’s 150 to 225 ft. The Crunkilton report also notes the location of the drowning was about a “quarter mile” from the Obama estate. That 1500 feet. Once can use the topo map and depth chart I linked to show that 1500 to the north of the estate (it’s shallower to the south) the water 200 feet from shore is at most 4-5 feet deep. That’s still a huge conflict with the claimed 8 feet, and it’s still difficult to imagine a good swimmer, who was nearly 6 feet tall, drowning in just 4-5 feet of water, even if it was "murky".
Now I want to say that your article contains some additional useful information that I haven’t seen and you make some good points. For example, I didn’t know that Ms Taylor may have been a Secret Service agent. Also, I didn’t realize that a Secret Service Agent named Guglielmi wrote a report claiming he “walked in the water … snip … near the point of the incident."
But you do get one thing wrong. You state that the 100 feet out/8 feet deep figure was only mentioned “in a newspaper article and not an official report.” That’s not true. Here’s a link to the Mass State Police website news announcement (https://www.mspnews.org/post/update-2-msp-divers-environmental-police-recover-body-of-paddle-boarder-from-edgartown-great-pond) which states “The recovery was made approximately 100 feet from shore at a depth of about eight feet.” This is the official number.
You also entertain the notion that since the autopsy report has not been released (which is VERY strange), "trauma (such as hitting his head on the board or something else) ... snip ... would fully explain how Campbell might have fallen off the board and just sank unconscious". But this AP article (https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-obama-chef-drowning-vineyard-452209903189 ) ruled out head trauma, stating that the "Massachusetts State Police reiterated Monday that Tafari Campbell did not sustain any head wounds". They were, in fact, debunking internet claims to the contrary.
Reuters also published an article (https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL1N39Q1NZ/) titled "No evidence of trauma found on body of Obama’s chef" that stated "Massachusetts State Police spokesperson David Procopio said in an email that claims of any trauma observed on Campbell are false", quoting him saying “No trauma or external injuries were observed by detectives on scene” and "the medical examiner found none during their physical post-mortem exam.” So I think we can rule that out ... unless, again, the authorities are lying to us.
All that said, I want to applaud you again for keeping this story alive in a well written article. Something is definitely hinky about Campbell's death. Something is hinky about the authorities refusing to release the autopsy, hiding the exact location where the body was found, and making depth of water claims that hard evidence suggests are false. And if they're withholding the autopsy because it showed alcohol or drugs present, that still doesn't explain the depth inconsistencies.
Thanks for your comments and information. The most alarming thing to me in the little cache of emails Judicial Watch got via FOIA was the fact that among only a modest amount of retractions of names.... they blacked out the depth of the water. Now maybe there is a reason to do this, as maybe it was an estimate by the officers on the scene and not an official number. Nevertheless, they could have easily said "about 8 feet" or whatever.
It makes me think that the depth of water casts an odd light on the events.
It appears that Campbell drowned relatively close to shore and that one agent walked to near the scene of the incident... but it took divers and sonar to find the body. That almost seems like the pond was shallow and then got deep very quickly. I've seen this kind of undersea topography in gulfs and oceans, not sure why a pond would have it.
The other thing that seems suspicious is that Campbell fell off his board and slipped into the water, then struggled "for a few seconds" and disappeared. Even a person who can't swim is going to thrash around for a while and, if he can, cry out. A person at imminent risk of drowning is going to go into "fight or flight" which would manifest in this situation as thrashing around. On top of that, Campbell could swim. So what was stopping him from at least keep his head above water till his companion could reach the paddleboard over to him? There was no undercurrent or anything like that, the water was basically still.
How deep does this go? To the bottom of the pit...