Massachusetts State Police (MSP) said on Tuesday they had concluded that Campbell was “standing on his paddleboard, lost his balance and fell into the water, then struggled to stay afloat but could not do so”.

The MSP added that the deceased “was not wearing a personal flotation device and was not leashed to the paddleboard” at the time of the accident, suggesting he may simply have been overwhelmed by the waves, regardless of his capabilities as a swimmer.

The MSP added in its update that an autopsy had found no evidence that Campbell’s death was suspicious and no trauma or injuries were found on his body.

Police said no other updates are expected except for standard toxicology results, which are protocol in all autopsies and may take several weeks to complete.

In October 2017, he posted a photo showing him and his wife standing chest deep in the sea off Aruba, with the hashtag “#stillcantswim”. One follower asked: “But can you swim though? Lol.” Campbell responded with a “weary face” emoji, suggesting frustration or lamenting.

The Independent has contacted that person for comment.

A pair of videos posted about a year and four months later showed him practising various swimming strokes over beginner distances, with the hashtags “#Progress” and “#survivalskills”.

Martha’s Vineyard authorities say they’ve found no suspicious evidence in the drowning death of Cambell near the Obama family’s estate. But several key details about the circumstances have not been explained.

The Independent’s Joe Sommerlad reports:

On Monday morning, the Massachusetts State Police (MSP) said in a statement that the search was paused to “assess [the] next steps”, before adding that afternoon that they had found a body at around 10am on Monday.

The police search was conducted by divers and boat crews employing side-scan sonar technology and aerial support from the MSP and USCG helicopter crews, its statement said.

“The recovery was made approximately 100 feet from shore at a depth of about eight feet,” MSP said. “The investigation into the fatality is being conducted by the State Police Detective Unit for the Cape and Islands District and Edgartown Police.”

Finally, on Monday evening, MSP named the deceased as 45-year-old Tafari Campbell from Dumfries, Virginia, saying he was a longtime employee of the Obamas and that neither Mr Obama nor his wife Michelle were home at the time of his death.

A cause of death has not been confirmed, but a press release by the law enforcement agency was tagged as a “drowning” on its website.

“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,” Massachusetts State Police said in an update on Tuesday.

“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.

“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 paddle boarder tried to swim to Mr Campbell’s location but did not reach him in time.

“The other paddle boarder then swam to shore and notified a person on 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.

“The police investigation and post-mortem examination is completed except for receipt of toxicology results, which is a standard procedure in all autopsies that generally takes several weeks to complete.

“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.”

Campbell’s Instagram account is that of a man who took great pride in his craft, enjoyed golfing and improving his fitness, and loved his family.

Interspersed between numerous photos of elegantly-presented dishes, from Chinese dumplings to peach-flavoured mini bread puddings, there are numerous snapshots of him with his wife Sherise, who runs a baking and catering firm and whom Campbell frequently described as his “best friend”.

One photo showed the young couple’s wedding back in 1999, with the caption “happy 21st anniversary!!!!”

Others showed them seeing 2018’s smash hit Black Panther, eating at a restaurant and at the beach on holiday in Aruba.

There are also a few pictures of Campbell with his twin sons, who are now 19 years old.

A video has emerged showing Tafari Campbell brewing beer for Barack Obama back in 2012, thought to be the first time any president has brewed alcohol on the actual White House grounds.

“You don’t want to go too fast, creating a lot of air, which will make the beer taste bad,” Campbell tells the camera as he siphons liquid into a container in a video posted to YouTube that year.

Massachusetts State Police said on Tuesday that an autopsy found no evidence that the death was suspicious and no trauma or injuries were found on Campbell’s body. A paddle-boarder who was at the pond with Campbell when the tragedy unfolded told law enforcement that the late chef was standing on his paddleboard when he lost balance.

“He was not wearing a personal flotation device and was not leashed to the paddleboard. The fellow paddle boarder tried to swim to Mr Campbell’s location but did not reach him in time,” the update read. “The other paddle boarder then swam to shore and notified a person on shore of what had happened.”

MSP said no other updates are expected at this time except for standard toxicology results that are protocol in all autopsies and may take several weeks.

Barack Obama and his family have paid tribute to the former president’s longtime personal chef after he died while paddleboarding near their home in Martha’s Vineyard.

Io Dodds reports.

Campbell’s Instagram account is that of a man who took great pride in his craft, enjoyed golfing and improving his fitness, and loved his family.

Interspersed between numerous photos of elegantly-presented dishes, from Chinese dumplings to peach-flavoured mini bread puddings, there are numerous snapshots of him with his wife Sherise, who runs a baking and catering firm and whom Campbell frequently described as his “best friend”.

One photo showed the young couple’s wedding back in 1999, with the caption “happy 21st anniversary!!!!”

Others showed them seeing 2018’s smash hit Black Panther, eating at a restaurant and at the beach on holiday in Aruba.

There are also a few pictures of Campbell with his twin sons, who are now 19 years old.

About a year and a half later, two videos showed Campbell practicing various swimming strokes over beginner distances, with the hashtags “#Progress” and “#survivalskills”.

Workers at the Edgartown Meat and Fish Market told The Daily Mail that Campbell was “a wonderful guy” who visited regularly to chat about what he was cooking or make special orders of orange juice and strawberry lemonade.

“We saw him last week, he was such a nice and happy guy,” one staff member said. “He didn’t seem to live here but would be here a lot in summer and fall, and bought various things.

“He was nice and quiet; it’s awful to hear that’s happened to him.”

On her own Instagram account on Monday night, Sherise reacted to her husband’s death with one word: “Heartbroken.”