The devastated daughter of a northern beaches woman allegedly killed by her son said her mother’s tragic death ‘doesn’t seem real’.
Rebecca Crawford, 21, arrived at her mother Lanell Latta’s Avalon home on Tuesday to collect the family’s cat and dog which had been left behind in all the chaos of the day before.
On Monday morning, Ms Latta, 50, was found stabbed to death inside the Marine Pde beachside home she rented, which is owned by supermodel Gemma Ward.
Lanell Latta, 50, was found stabbed to death inside the Marine Pde beachside home she rented on Monday morning
Rebecca Crawford arrived at her mother Lanell Latta’s Avalon home on Tuesday with her father Guy Crawford for support
Rebecca Crawford said she is ‘pretty much just in shock’ after learning of her mother’s death on Monday
Rebecca Crawford, 21, arrived at her mother Lanell Latta’s Avalon home on Tuesday to collect the family’s cat and dog which had been left behind in all the chaos of the day before
Family and friends have started returning to the home Lanell Latta rented in Avalon beach to collect her things
Her son Joel Woszatka, 25, was arrested nearby and charged with his mother’s murder.
‘In all honesty I’m pretty much just in shock,’ Ms Crawford said.
‘It hasn’t hit me yet that it’s real, it probably will when the funeral comes but it just doesn’t feel real.’
The young woman was comforted by her father Guy Crawford as she collected the cat and dog, and got back into the car.
Rebecca Crawford, 21, arrived at her mother Lanell Latta’s Avalon home on Tuesday to collect the family’s cat and dog
Joel Woszatka (pictured), 25, was arrested and charged over the stabbing murder of his mother, 50-year-old Lanell Latta
Ms Latta (pictured), 50, was found stabbed to death in her rented home on Sydney’s northern beaches on Monday morning
Police are investigating whether drugs, particularly ice, have played a role in the murder of Ms Latta (Ms Latta pictured left, Woszatka second from right)
She glanced at floral tributes left beside Ms Latta’s letterbox, mourning the popular hairdresser.
Her return home came just hours after Woszatka was formally refused bail in Manly Court.
Joel Woszatka’s arrest is the culmination of what locals regard a dark time for the young man, who family friends revealed habitually wandered the suburban streets at dawn and dusk with a long neck beer in his hand.
People had been ‘trying to help Joel for a while, but it was having very little effect,’ the man told Daily Mail Australia.
‘Neighbours would see him walking along the street at 9am with a long neck in a paper bag, and he would do the same in the evening,’ he said.
Local children who would previously say hello to the 25-year-old were reportedly now afraid to approach him, but the man, who declined to be identified, said he was not entirely to blame.
Floral tributes left outside the home Ms Latta rented in Avalon beach, where she was found dead on Monday morning
Ms Latta was described as a ‘hippie chick’ who had a ‘beautiful smile’. A family friend said she wouldn’t harm a flea
Police are investigating any link to drug use, particularly ice, in relation to the murder, with Ms Latta’s family friend noting the drug was becoming an issue in the affluent suburb.
‘The problem is, there are a number of kids who lose their way in Avalon to drugs and alcohol – and just as many can go on to lead very successful lives,’ he said.
He said since the killing had made headlines, debate had been raging about what could be done to tackle ice use among the local youth.
‘Ice needs to be wiped off the face of the earth,’ the man said.
‘Addicts are just the victims of the dealers.’
The Avalon property, owned by Australian supermodel Gemma Ward, where Lanell Latta was found murdered on Monday morning
Police returned to the property on Tuesday to collect evidence for the Lanell Latta murder case
Police returned to the Avalon property on Tuesday to collect evidence for the Lanell Latta murder case
Australian supermodel Gemma Ward and her husband David Letts have rented out the two-bedroom beach home since buying it last year for $1.6 million
Ms Latta was remembered as ‘a beautiful spirit’ with an unforgettable smile
Ms Latta, 50, was found dead at her rental property on Marine Parade near Avalon Beach at 10.45am, NSW police said.
Mr Woszatka was arrested in nearby Ruskin Rowe, soon after police were called to his mother’s home.
Officers spoke with him before putting him in a paddy wagon and taking the man to Manly Police station.
He has been charged with murder and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
The 25-year-old was refused bail at Manly Local Court on Tuesday.
Police ordered Woszatka undergo a forensic procedure before he returns to court next week.
Police are investigating whether drugs, particularly ice, have played a role in the killing of Ms Latta, Nine News reported.
A witness to Woszatka’s arrest told the broadcaster officers and the man had been conversing peacefully before he was put into the paddy wagon.
‘He didn’t put up a fight, no carrying on,’ the man said.
Georgia Westwood, who lived with her family next door to Ms Latta, said she could hear screaming from her balcony today.
‘I saw a man running down the road but I didn’t really think anything of it,’ she told Nine News.
Pictured: A family member of Ms Latta breaks down after the mother’s body was discovered
Ms Latta’s family friend told Daily Mail Australia Lanell, who worked as a hairdresser, was a ‘hippie chick’ with a ‘beautiful smile’.
‘She was a beautiful person who couldn’t harm a flea,’ he said.
Ms Latta was the daughter of Australian surfing champion Frank Latta, who was equally as highly regarded for his surfboard shaping and design skills.
She had been renting the Avalon home when it was purchased last year by Australian supermodel Gemma Ward, who expressed her shock to The Daily Telegraph.
Woszatka was arrested shortly after police found Ms Latta’s body and was questioned at Manly Police Station
‘It’s heartbreaking news. My heart goes out to the family and all involved in this tragedy,’ she said.
Ms Ward bought the two-bedroom beach property with her husband David Letts in 2016 for $1.6 million. Ms Latta stayed on as a tenant.
Mr Letts, who went surfing with another of Ms Latta’s sons and dined at the home about six months ago, also expressed his heartbreak at the news.
‘She was such a sweet woman, it’s just a tragedy,’ he said.
Ms Ward and Mr Letts live at a separate property with their two children – a daughter Naia, 3, and seven-month-old son Jett.
Officers cordoned off the home and were still at the scene late into the afternoon (pictured)
The two-bedroom house on Marine Parade (pictured) belongs to model Gemma Ward
Officers were seen donning white forensic suits as they entered the crime scene
A man is pictured holding his head in his hands as he sits on the curb in front of the home
A report into Ms Latta’s death will be prepared for the coroner, officers confirmed
Police were seen consoling a young woman and she held her hands to her face
Officers were seen flooding the quiet suburban street after Ms Latta was stabbed to death
The Perth-born supermodel (pictured), who dated Australian actor Heath Ledger before his death, quickly rose to the top and was considered the industry’s new ‘it girl’ in the late 2000s
Friends have paid tribute to Ms Latta on Facebook, one writing: ‘So sad, I miss you already beautiful will never forget your smile’.
Another said the woman: ‘was and is a beautiful spirit’.
A third said the 50-year-old was ‘so lovely’ and ‘had recently found love in her life.’
One grieving friend described Ms Latta as: ‘ethereal, funny, kind and gentle’.
‘I have wonderful memories of you, and I wish you eternal peace now that you are home,’ she wrote.
Ms Ward and her husband David Letts have been renting out the two-bedroom beach home
Ms Ward and her husband reportedly bought the home last year for $1.6 million
A group of police are pictured talking outside the Northern Beaches home
More officers were seen putting on and taking off forensic suits as they entered and left the home
The Marine Parade home was advertised for a six-month lease at $750 per week from October
The woman’s death is being investigated. Officers have cordoned off the home (inside pictured) and were still at the scene late into the afternoon
Shortly after police arrived at the Marine Parade home (pictured), Woszatka was arrested on nearby Ruskin Rowe
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