WYOMING, Mich. — Days after her death, Leah Gomez is on the minds of her friends and family, who gathered for a candlelight vigil.
More than 100 family members and friends of Gomez showed up to remember and honor her on Saturday night. It was a large group that no one who knew her was surprised to see.
For those who knew her, Leah Gomez was the perfect friend.
"Very loving, very caring, hilarious," says Alicia Bechtold, Gomez's cousin. "She had an energy to her that was contagious."
She was someone the crowd of people will miss dearly.
"We were preparing ourselves in the car, like, you know, there's gonna be a lot of people," says Sarai Tellez, Gomez's friend.
Alicia says she wasn't just a good person to her friends, but to her nearly two-year-old daughter, Rosie.
"She protected her with everything in her," says Bechtold. "And that little girl was her world. And she did everything in our power to keep her safe."
Keeping her safe is a job that Gomez's friends and family now vow to take on in her place.
"We're always gonna have Rosie's back," says Tellez. "We're gonna help her, you know, it's not like the same mother love but we're gonna give her the love that Rosie deserves."
There is a GoFundMe set up to help with expenses for the Gomez family caring for Rosie. You can find it by clicking here.
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