SURFSIDE BEACH, Texas – He loved making TikToks. He practiced his dance moves to Michael Jackson, asked a lot of questions, and had a lot of love to give.
More than 2 weeks after Joshua Lahai drowned at Surfside Beach, his family sat down with KPRC 2 to talk about Joshua — and the hole his absence has already carved into their home.
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“Joshua was the fourth born. He was so loving, very smart, liked to ask questions. When he was growing up, he was going to be greater than me,” said Peter Lahai, Joshua’s father.
His mother, Esther Lahai, struggled to find words big enough to describe him.
“He was very helpful, he was kind, he was very smart. He loved me so much. He loved us,” Esther said.
Joshua was about to start sixth grade. He played football with the Southwest Broncos and was still figuring out who he was and what he loved — a life, his family says, that was just beginning to take shape.
On May 24, Joshua’s football team took a trip to Surfside Beach. Police say Joshua was in the water with a friend when he went under. His parents were on the beach but say they looked away for a moment to check on their other children — and when they looked back, Joshua was gone.
“When you were on the beach and you did see Joshua before he drowned, how far do you think he was?” he was asked.
“He was not 150 yards, no. Just around where the other kids were. I always see him with one identical boy,” Peter said. “And this boy, his father rescued him — but could not rescue Joshua.”
Joshua’s body was recovered almost 48 hours later, with the help of multiple law enforcement agencies and Texas EquuSearch.
In the days since, the family has been asking questions. They tell KPRC 2 they had never been to Surfside Beach before.
“We don’t know about that beach, and if you check the history of that beach, people drown every year. We only knew that after this incident,” Peter said.
Now, the family is leaning on each other and on their faith as they try to find a way forward.
“We’ll miss Joshua. I don’t think it’s going to be easy for us,” Peter said.
Joshua’s family will hold a vigil Friday and lay him to rest Saturday.
As the Lahai family prepares to say goodbye, Surfside Beach is taking steps to prevent another tragedy. Police are launching a life jacket donation program in the coming days, and city council members are set to discuss an agreement with TEXSAR — a volunteer first responder group — to provide additional support during busy beach weekends and large events.