Family desperate as relative remains missing after four months

In the four months since 34-year-old Okeve Gosling has gone missing, his family has not had a moment of peace.

A close relative, who wished to remain anonymous, told THE STAR that his disappearance still does not feel real.

"Sometimes we wake up and we think things are OK, but then we remember that he's not here. We can't call him anymore, we can't message him. We don't get any messages from him. The special days like Christmas and birthdays are not enjoyable anymore," she said. "We walk around trying to be fine but with an emptiness inside. We think about him all day, every day. We pray every single day for a miracle. His mother is in physical pain not knowing what happened to her child and not having him present."

Gosling, otherwise known as 'Natural' or 'Onie', was first reported missing last November at the Mandeville Police Station in Manchester. After months without any development in the case, and with the police informing the family that not much can be done without more evidence, Gosling's family is hoping that offering a reward will encourage people to come forward with information and possibly give the family some closure.

"We need to know where he is and what happened to him. And we pray this will motivate someone to help our family know what happened to our loved one. There are people who love him and miss him and need answers. Any answers at all," she said. The reward is $100,000. The relative described Gosling as a simple man who loved his family more than anything.

"He wasn't living at home anymore, but he would check in almost on a daily basis," she said. "He loved to laugh, to be surrounded by friends and family. He was friendly with everyone. He was pretty simple and wasn't worried about material things."

The relative said that it took family members a long time to even get Gosling to use a smartphone.

"He was fine with just a regular phone. Sometimes he could talk forever, but sometimes he was just quiet and observant," she said.

Envisioning what the family would have to endure without Gosling, the relative said it would be like living without a limb or having a bad wound that never heals.

"It would be a permanent grief. One of the worst things is not knowing. We need some kind of closure. His siblings need it and his mother needs it, his whole family misses his laughter," she said.