Sign up for the paNOW newsletter

LaTasha Gosling’s best friend heartbroken after Tisdale tragedy

Apr 24, 2015 | 5:34 PM

Latasha Gosling’s best friend, Stephanie Lai, said she keeps expecting to hear from Latasha and can’t believe she will never see her again.

“I go through moments of upset and anger and not feeling like it’s real, like she’s just going to text me or call me at any time and she’s not,” Lai said.

Latasha Gosling and her children, Landen, Janayah and Jenika were found dead in Tisdale this week. Latasha’s boyfriend, Steve O’Shaughnessy is suspected of killing them. He was found dead in Prince Albert with his unharmed six-month old daughter.

Lai met Latasha when they both went to high school in Nipawin and they grew closer after they both started families.

“Our kids were best friends, very best friends. We got together almost everyday with the kids and they played,” Lai said, crying.

Lai has had the heartbreaking talk with her own daughter and tried to explain Latasha and her kids are gone.

“I just told my six-year-old. She’s been having some pretty tough moments asking me questions about why, telling me kids should not die,” Lai said, holding back tears.

To try and cope with the loss, Lai is seeing a councillor and trying to concentrate on her good memories of Latasha.

“She was always willing to lend you an extra hand. She was funny and she was sweet and she was such a good mom. She cared about everybody’s kids. She loved kids,” Lai said.

Lai said recently Latasha was taking care of Lai’s girls as well as her own and let the young girls play with makeup.

“I just remember going there and the kids were so happy and she was laughing.”  

Lai is staying with family in Nipawin because she said it’s too hard to return to her home in Tisdale knowing her best friend won’t be coming to visit.

“I’m really worried about going back there. To know that we shared so many memories in my house, she had sleepovers at my house. The kids slept at my house. It’s going to be really hard to go back home,” Lai said.

panews@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @Trelle_K