Was He Related to Obamas?
As the story of a drowning outside former President Barack Obama’s estate in Martha’s Vineyard continues to unfold, one question has become increasingly prominent:
Was the victim related to the Obamas?
According to the U.K.’s Daily Mail, a 43-year-old man had been paddleboarding in Edgartown Great Pond on the Massachussetts island before he was seen falling into the water Sunday.
His body was discovered Monday.
The pond is “just yards away from” Obama’s home, according to the report, and a 911 call was made from the Obama estate.
In addition, the victim was black, according to the Daily Mail.
All of that led to speculation that the deceased could be a member of the Obama family.
More than 89 percent of the residents of Dukes County, Massachusetts — which is mostly made up of Martha’s Vineyard — are white, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
A comparatively minuscule 5.2 percent of the population is black, and 2.9 percent is “two or more races.”
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Given the racial demographics of the island, along with the fact that the incident took place so close to Obama’s home, there seemed to be at least a small chance the victim was related to the nation’s first black president or his wife, Michelle Obama.
According to the Daily Mail, multiple witnesses — including another paddleboarder — saw the victim struggling to stay afloat on the pond before capsizing.
Massachusetts State Police released a statement after the body was recovered.
“Shortly before 10 AM the body of the missing paddle boarder was recovered from Edgartown Great Pond by Massachusetts State Police divers,” police said.
“MSP Underwater Recovery Unit divers made the recovery after the victim’s body was located by a Massachusetts Environmental Police Officers deploying side-scan sonar from a boat.”
The State Police Dive Team and Massachusetts Environmental Police have recovered the body of the missing paddle boarder from Edgartown Great Pond. https://t.co/oC4IEsCDRf
— Mass State Police (@MassStatePolice) July 24, 2023
Police recovered the body 100 feet from the shore. It was found roughly 8 feet beneath the surface.
The victim’s name was expected to be revealed later Monday.
“The investigation into the fatality is being conducted by the State Police Detective Unit for the Cape and Islands District and Edgartown Police,” police said.
Take a look inside Barack and Michelle’s home, where they will be holding Obama’s 60th birthday party… https://t.co/hNYh0N5Nok pic.twitter.com/KvxONLHR5d
— Homes & Gardens (@homesandgardens) August 2, 2021
It was unknown early Monday whether any members of the Obama family were staying at the Massachusetts residence.
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