B.C. Man Found Guilty of Manslaughter, Indignity to Human Remains in 2017 Killing of Young Mother

A B.C. man has been found guilty of manslaughter and indignity to human remains in the 2017 death of 22-year-old Chelsey Gauthier, a young mother whose body was found northeast of Mission nearly two weeks after she was reported missing.

Gary Losch, who was 62 at the time of the incident, was initially charged with second-degree murder and interference with a dead body in 2022. However, on Tuesday, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Dev Dley convicted him on the lesser charges following a lengthy investigation and court process.

Gauthier was last seen in late July 2017 and reported missing to the Abbotsford Police Department by her family on July 30. Her body was discovered on August 16 in a wooded area near Sylvester Road and Dale Road, approximately 70 kilometres east of Vancouver.

According to investigators with the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT), Losch had been a suspect early in the case. He was alleged to have offered Gauthier work at his illegal outdoor marijuana grow operation. Gauthier’s father, Ray Gauthier, clarified that while she wasn’t employed by Losch, she had agreed to clip cannabis plants in exchange for one.

In a statement released by IHIT on Thursday, Gauthier’s father expressed the family’s gratitude for the years of work by police and prosecutors. “Chelsey loved her family and friends, and she will not be forgotten,” he said.

IHIT says a date for Losch’s sentencing will be set in the coming weeks.