Friends, family of murdered B.C. mom gather in courtroom to read victim impact statements

Friends and family of a 22-year-old B.C. woman who was found in a shallow grave in Mission in 2017 gathered at a courthouse in Abbotsford on Tuesday as the man accused of killing her appeared in court.

Abbotsford, B.C., mother Chelsey Lea Gauthier was stabbed to death in 2017 and found in a shallow grave in an isolated wooded area of Mission.

Police arrested a suspect, Gary Donald Losch, on Sept. 9, 2022. Losch was charged the next day with second-degree murder and interference with a dead body or indignity to human remains.

Chelsey’s father, Raymond Gauthier, appeared via video to read his victim impact statement and became overwhelmed with emotions within seconds.

“When Chelsey died, a part of me died,” he said.

“Her loss is overwhelming and could’ve have been avoided. She didn’t