Authorities in the state of Massachusetts (US) found the lifeless body of former US President Barack Obama’s (2009 – 2017) personal cook in a lake on Martha’s Vineyard Island on Monday.

Tafari Campbell, 43, was found dead by divers Monday after going missing from Edgartown Great Pond, Massachusetts, which is next to Obama’s sprawling estate.

Medical examiners are expected to prepare a toxicology report on the body of a former White House sous chief who apparently drowned while stand-up paddleboarding at the former US president’s $12 million estate. Several sources indicate that a toxicological analysis is part of the investigation, as a customary procedure in case of drowning.

Neither the former president nor his family were nearby at the time of the incident.

The former president and his wife, Michelle Obama, said in a statement that Tafari was “part of their family” and recalled meeting him when he worked in the White House kitchen.

“We got to know him as a warm, funny and extremely nice person who made our lives a little warmer,” the couple said.

Authorities began rescue efforts on Sunday evening after being alerted that a person who was paddle boarding was missing.