The man responsible for the 2017 killing of Chelsey Gauthier, a 22-year-old single mother from Abbotsford, has been found guilty of manslaughter. The verdict was delivered on July 22, and the convicted man, 69-year-old Gary Losch, was released on bail while awaiting sentencing.
Justice Dev Dley of the B.C. Supreme Court delivered the decision in a courtroom filled with around 50 of Gauthier’s friends and family members. Many wore green ribbon pins in memory of her favorite color. Losch was also found guilty of interfering with human remains. He is scheduled to return to court on August 18 to schedule a sentencing date.
Gauthier was reported missing on July 30, 2017. Her body was discovered more than two weeks later, on August 16, buried in a shallow grave near Sylvester Road and Dale Road in Mission. She had been stabbed in the back and was wrapped in a sheet, naked from the waist down.
Gauthier had known Losch through his illegal marijuana grow-op on the Mission property. On July 27, 2017, a friend of Losch, identified as Bill, drove both Losch and Gauthier to the site. Bill later told police that he had received a message from Losch saying they planned to camp overnight.
The next morning, only Losch returned. He claimed Gauthier became scared during the night and decided to hitchhike home. This explanation raised concerns among her family and friends, especially because Gauthier was normally very active on social media and in daily contact with loved ones.
After she was reported missing, police began an investigation. During interviews, Losch gave different versions of events, saying first that she left alone and later claiming she went with others, including a boyfriend. He even suggested that people he worked for might have thought Gauthier was an informant or thief.
On August 2, 2017, police conducted a preliminary search of the Mission property but found nothing. A second, more thorough search on August 16 uncovered Gauthier’s body buried near a tent on the property. DNA found on the sheet wrapping her body matched Losch.
Photos recovered during the investigation showed Gauthier at the site on July 27, and cellphone records placed Losch in the same area on that day and in the days that followed. The fact that her body was buried on Losch’s own property led the judge to reject the idea that she had left and been killed elsewhere.
Justice Dley stated that although the evidence was circumstantial, it clearly pointed to Losch. He said he did not believe any of the versions of events given by Losch. However, the court ruled that the Crown failed to prove beyond doubt that Losch intended to kill Gauthier. As a result, the charge was reduced from second-degree murder to manslaughter.
Dley noted that the motive behind the killing remains unclear, though the state in which her body was found suggested there may have been a sexual element involved.
Outside the courthouse, Gauthier’s father, Ray, and brother, Jeremiah, spoke about the decision. While they were relieved that there was a conviction, they expressed frustration that Losch was released on bail and not found guilty of murder. Ray said it was hard to accept that Losch could now walk freely around town while the family continues to grieve. He called for changes in the justice system.
Ray described Chelsey as a kind and fun-loving person who cared deeply for others. Jeremiah said she was his best friend and someone he could talk to when no one else could understand him.
The maximum sentence for manslaughter in Canada is life in prison, but most cases receive between four and 15 years. The upcoming court hearing in August will determine how long Losch will serve for his role in Chelsey Gauthier’s death.
