A paddleboarder who went missing in a pond near Barack Obama’s Martha’s Vineyard estate on Sunday evening was found dead in the water on Monday morning.
The 43-year-old man’s body was located about 100 feet from the shore in 8 feet of water at about 10 a.m., according to officials.
Emergency crews were dispatched to 79 Turkeyland Cove Road — the address of the Obamas’ estate on the shore of Edgartown Great Pond — just before 8 p.m. Sunday after somebody called 911 to report a “possible drowning.”
A witness reported the man had been seen struggling in the water after falling off his board, then went under and did not come back up, according to the MV Times.
It remains unclear whether the emergency call was made from the Obamas’ property, or whether they were home at the time of the drowning.
Search and rescue operations were launched from the 30-acre estate. The victim was last seen wearing all black and wore no life jacket.
His paddleboard and hat were located shortly after officers arrived at the scene Sunday evening.
Divers were deployed to the scene, but the body was finally recovered using side-scan sonar deployed from a Massachusetts Environmental Police boat.
United from the Coast Guard, the State Police, and local fire and police crews assisted in the search.
Police said they expect to release the victim’s name sometime Monday.
The Obamas purchased the estate on the banks of the nearly 900-acre pond in 2019 for nearly $12 million.