Man found dead near Obama home

A paddleboarder has reportedly drowned outside the ex-US president’s estate in Martha’s Vineyard

Massachusetts police announced on Monday that they had found the body of a man who went missing while paddleboarding. The 911 call about a possible drowning had come from the estate of former US president Barack Obama.

The call, which came at around 7:45 on Sunday evening, said an adult male had disappeared underwater on the Edgartown Great Pond, on the south side of the island. The man was described as African-American, wearing all black clothing but not a life jacket. Police classified the call as “possible drowning.”

The search eventually involved Massachusetts State Police, the US Coast Guard, Edgartown Fire and Dukes County Sheriff's Department. Firefighters combed the shore of Turkeyland Cove while police went door to door. The only things recovered on Sunday were a paddle board and a hat, however.

When the search resumed on Monday morning, the body was finally found using a side-scan sonar mounted on a Massachusetts Environmental Police boat. Police said they located the remains about 30 meters (98 feet) from the shore, at a depth of about 2.5 meters, just outside the Obama estate on Turkeyland Cove.

“We are deeply saddened by the outcome of this event, but grateful for the massive effort that was supported by our local fire rescue members,” Edgartown fire chief Alex Schaeffer told the Vineyard Gazette.

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Police divers retrieved the remains of a 43-year-old man, whose name has not yet been released pending notification of his next of kin. Police said that another paddle boarder was on the pond at the time and observed the man slip under the water. His identity has not been revealed, either.

While the 911 call came from Obama’s mansion, it remains unclear whether the former US president (2008-2016) was involved at all. Neither the US Secret Service nor the Obama Foundation have commented on his whereabouts. The 61-year-old is a big fan of  paddleboarding, a watersport related to surfing. 

Martha’s Vineyard and the nearby Chappaquiddick Island are the favorite summer destinations of wealthy Americans and celebrities. Obama bought the seven-bedroom, 640-square-meter waterfront mansion overlooking Turkeyland Cove in 2019, for almost $12 million.

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