Man who killed 22-year-old Chelsey Gauthier, buried her in a shallow grave in Mission appeals conviction
In advance of an appeal hearing, killer Gary Losch can apply to be released on bail just as he was after manslaughter conviction, before sentencing
January 29, 2026
Warning: This story contains graphic descriptions of violence that could be disturbing to some readers.
Since 70-year-old Gary Losch has an established distrust of government bodies and nothing much else to lose, it might not be surprising that he is appealing his manslaughter conviction for killing Chelsey Gauthier and hiding her body in the woods in 2017.
There was a clue that Losch might appeal when, during his sentencing hearing in December 2025, he apologized but not for murdering the young mother of two. He apologized for what he called an “accident.”
“I would just like to say that Chelsea and I were friends,” Losch said with a quiet, strained voice in the prisoner’s box in BC Supreme Court in Abbotsford on Dec. 18, 2025. “It was a horrible accident that happened.”
Gary Losch (at left) in a screenshot from a video by Kasadee York, an RCMP mug shot of Losch, and Chelsey Gauthier (Facebook).
He paused for several seconds before continuing.
“I’m very sorry for what happened. I can’t think of anything else I’m just very sorry. I live with this every day. Thank you your honour.”
But it wasn’t an accident. Gauthier went with Losch to help the older man tend to his marijuana grow operation in a remote spot in the woods on the slopes of Dewdney Peak on July 27, 2017.
When his friend Bill Rinz came to pick them up the next day on Sylvester Road, only Losch emerged from the woods.
What exactly transpired between Losch and Gauthier may never be known but what is clear is that he stabbed her from behind puncturing the pericardium heart chamber, a blow described as being delivered with considerable force given the impact on bone and cartilage.
This blow killed her, possibly instantly.
Losch did not report this “accident” to authorities or remove his “friend” from the woods to seek treatment or report a death. Instead, he dug a shallow grave and crudely covered Gauthier’s half-naked body.
A number of searches turned up nothing once it was discovered she was missing. And if not for the great detective work of Det. Tony Demers, she may never have been found. Det. Demers looked at an area that had been searched before where there were remnants of a campfire. He noticed vegetation around what was thought to be ashes from a burn site that were not singed, which seemed odd. He also noticed two rocks appeared to be in unnatural positions. He moved one of the rocks and saw maggots, smelled “dead flesh,” and saw part of an arm up to the elbow joint.
Victim's friend campaigning against appeal
Losch pleaded not guilty in the circumstantial case against him for killing Gauthier and burying her in a shallow grave. His trial ran over more than 140 days in B.C. Supreme Court in Abbotsford from February 24 to June 5, 2025.
After many witnesses and reams of circumstantial evidence, Justice Dev Dley found that Losch was responsible for Gauthier’s death, convicting him of manslaughter and interference with human remains.
Crown counsel Andrew MacDonald asked for a sentence of 11 years prison for the manslaughter plus two years for the interference to run consecutively. Losch’s lawyer said his sentence should be six to eight years for the manslaughter agreeing with the two years for the interference, also agreeing it run consecutive.
Justice Dley agreed with the submissions of two years for the interference and then said 10 years for the manslaughter was suitable to run consecutive. With 3.5 years credit for time served, his sentence amounted to 8.5 more years.
Gauthier’s close friend Kasadee York campaigned for justice for years for her friend and was unimpressed by the sentence.
“Honestly I personally feel that the sentence given does not reflect the gravity of the loss this has had on the family, friends, and our community,” York told Something Worth Reading.
“No sentence would truly be enough.”
Since then, York found out indirectly through Crown that Losch is filing an appeal for his conviction. In response, York created a change.org petition out to call on the Attorney General and BC Court of Appeal to oppose Losch’s appeal “unless clear and demonstrable legal errors are presented.”
“We strongly believe that the original trial was fair, properly conducted, and fully supported by evidence, and that granting an appeal without clear legal grounds could undermine justice, public confidence, and the rights of victims.”
Her petition outlines the high rate that Indigenous women and girls are killed in Canada, citing that between 2009 and 2021 there were 490 Indigenous female homicide victims. She points out that the facts of this case parallel the majority of those homicides in that it involves a male assailant much older than his victim in her 20s.
What is also somewhat concerning for friends and family of Gauthier is that convicted offenders can initiate an appeal 30 days after sentencing and, importantly, can apply for bail while that appeal is pending.
“Although these provisions exist within the legal system, their application in this matter is fundamentally unjustified. Entertaining bail or appellate relief in this case minimizes the severity of the offences, dismisses the profound harm caused, and undermines both the integrity of the conviction and public confidence in the justice system.“
Members of the community were already upset when, following the guilty verdicts, Losch was released on bail pending sentencing and members of the community reported sightings of him in the downtown Chilliwack area.
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Paul J. Henderson
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