Chelsey Lea Gauthier.

By Mike Vanden Bosch and Alyssa Conti

Judicial sentencing

70-year-old man sentenced in death of 22-year-old Abbotsford woman

Dec 18, 2025 | 6:13 PM

ABBOTSFORD — A 70-year-old man was sentenced today, less time served of 3 1/2 years, to 8 1/2 years in the horrific stabbing death of 22-year-old Abbotsford woman Chelsey Lea Gauthier.

According to a statement from Integrated Homicide Investigation Team spokesperson Sgt. Freda Fong, the Supreme Court of B.C. in July 2025 convicted then 69-year-old Gary Losch of manslaughter.

On September 10, 2022, the BC Prosecution Service charged Gary Losch with second-degree murder and indignity to human remains in the homicide of Chelsey Gauthier.

Today, Thursday, December 18, Losch, now 70, appeared at the Supreme Court of BC in Abbotsford where he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for manslaughter and two years in prison for indignity to human remains, to be served consecutively.

“This was a complex investigation involving a complicated outdoor crime scene,” says Sgt. Freda Fong. “Investigators were met with tremendous challenges navigating the vast crime scene and exposure to the elements.”

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A witness in today’s court proceedings, Kasadee York, says Losch had the sentence reduced to 8 1/2 years for 3 1/2 years already served in prison.

Court documents show that in July 2017, Gauthier and Losch were dropped off in a rural area of Mission near the intersection of Dale Road and Sylvester Road to help him with his marijuana grow.

She would not be seen until the month after, when her body was found buried in a shallow grave near Losch’s tent – partially wrapped in a sheet, and naked from the waist down, with a stab wound through the back of her chest.

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) took conduct of the initial investigation and worked in close partnership with the Abbotsford Police Department, the BC Coroners Service, and the Integrated Forensic Identification Service (IFIS). Since the outset of this investigation, IHIT investigators have worked tirelessly with policing partners to advance this investigation and bring it before the courts.

“A case like this takes a lot of persistence not only to gather, but also to present the evidence, in an effort to demonstrate the truth of what happened to the victim,” Sgt. Fong said. “We are so proud of the investigators for their dedication and the great lengths they went to see this case through. As the court proceedings come to an end, we hope for peace and closure for Chelsey’s family and friends.”