The courtroom was packed last week. Friends and family members of Anisha Gutshall filled the creaky seats and stood along the back wall, wearing matching shirts calling for “justice for Anisha.”

Gutshall, a 19-year-old who grew up in Southern Humboldt, died last year in a crash on Highway 101 near Rio Dell. Authorities have since charged driver Ocean Del Castillo with felony vehicular manslaughter, alleging gross negligence.

Gutshall was a passenger in the man’s car, which veered into the opposite lane through a break in the center barrier and collided head-on with a truck on Oct. 28, 2025. She died from injuries at the scene.

Del Castillo has not been criminally charged with driving under the influence, but a lawsuit filed by the family has alleged the man was taking  nitrous oxide while driving (something he denies).

Submitted.

Family members were gathered at the courthouse last week, holding photos of Gutshall and an urn to urge the court to continue holding Del Castillo without bail.

People remembered Gutshall as a selfless person who made fast friends.

“Anisha was a wild spirit with a beautiful heart,” said Elaine Olivas, her aunt, in a message to the Outpost.

“She had a special place in her soul for the lost, the forgotten, and the vulnerable — whether they were people or animals didn’t matter. Her heart saw those who needed love and she was never afraid to give it. She saw every individual as they were and met them where they are. Anisha never met a stranger.”

Gutshall’s cousin Avery, who was born just six weeks after her and grew up alongside her like a sister, said Gutshall was part of every chapter of her life. She said she misses her in every ordinary moment and misses the future they were supposed to have together.

“She always told me the truth, whether I wanted to hear it or not. She loved fiercely and without conditions,” said Avery Olivas, in a memorial speech shared with the Outpost.

“Anisha, you were taken from us in the most unimaginable way. There will never be another you.”

Preliminary Hearing scheduled for one-year anniversary of her death

A preliminary hearing for the suspect will be held Wednesday, on the one-year anniversary of her death.

Del Castillo, 24, faces charges for felony manslaughter and for driving the wrong way on a divided highway and causing death. He’s pleaded not guilty to all charges.

He was charged and arrested for the crash on a warrant in August of this year, and is now being held without bail.

Police attributed the delay of charging Del Castillo to the complexity of the case.

“It’s a very complex crash involving a deceased individual,” said Jason Esselman, a California Highway Patrol spokesperson. “The last thing we want to do is rush through.”

Gutshall’s parents, who have filed a civil lawsuit, have alleged through court documents that Del Castillo inhaled nitrous oxide while operating the vehicle, which caused the crash. That afternoon, he allowed his car to cross the center median, and Gutshall was ejected from the vehicle, according to police.

Del Castillo said through his attorney he does not use nitrous oxide.

“Mr. Del Castillo does not use nitrous oxide and there is no evidence to support that Mr. Del Castillo was using it at the time of this incident,” wrote Emery Welton, Del Castillo’s attorney, in an email to the Outpost.

He expects evidence to be presented that there were nitrous canisters found in the vehicle, but alleged there is evidence the decedent purchased and used the nitrous, explaining its presence.

“Several years ago, someone close to Ocean suffered devastating health consequences from their abuse of nitrous, and he’s had strong feelings against its use since that time,” wrote Welton, who is a deputy public defender.

Evidence for possible use of nitrous oxide was tricky for police to pin down, said Esselman. In their final report, CHP found that nitrous use was a possibility, but couldn’t say definitively in either direction whether it was involved or not.

Esselman noted that nitrous oxide dissipates quickly, so police cannot rely on tests used to detect other drugs.

“We don’t have any physical evidence to substantiate, in Del Castillo’s body, that he was on nitrous,” he said. “Now, that doesn’t mean he wasn’t. It just means we couldn’t find any.”

Plus, the car Del Castillo was driving burned at the scene, meaning physical evidence could have been destroyed, he said.

“We don’t know if there was evidence in there, because of how much damage the fire did to the vehicle,” he said. A CHP investigator was involved to do follow-up, including tips received after CHP issued a press release seeking information.

Essleman noted the agency can’t share much right now, to protect the integrity of the case — he would not comment on whether or not canisters were found in the vehicle, when reached by email.

The first report from CHP was forwarded to the District Attorney’s Office in May. The office needed additional investigation before they could charge Del Castillo, and received more reports on July 30, filing charges against him about a week later.

The court will now determine whether he can be held to these criminal charges in the preliminary hearing scheduled for tomorrow. A judge is also set to decide whether he can be released while the case moves forward.

District Attorney Stacey Eads said in an email that additional charges, like DUI, would rely heavily on the evidence and whether the crimes can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

“At the preliminary hearing we will seek to present the admissible evidence supporting the crimes charged,” she wrote.

“If admissible evidence supports additional criminal charges, I anticipate the Deputy District Attorney will ask the court for a holding order on all provable crimes.”

Judge Heather Durand decided Del Castillo will continue to be held without bail in a hearing last week. Booking records indicate he was arrested while out on bail earlier this month and picked up a new case for allegedly possessing drugs.

Family’s lawsuit targets driver, nitrous manufacturer

Still, as the criminal case moves forward, the family wants both the suspect and the manufacturer of the nitrous allegedly used to be held responsible through a civil lawsuit.

The wrongful death lawsuit against Del Castillo names the parent company of a brand that sells large canisters of nitrous oxide ostensibly for making culinary products as a defendant.

While nitrous oxide is used to make whipped cream and has medical and automotive applications, it’s also widely inhaled as a recreational drug (known as whippets). Canisters have been sold at smoke shops and liquor stores for years, though regulations have since tightened its distribution locally.

Possessing the substance with the intent to inhale it, or selling it to someone knowing they want to get high off it, is illegal in California. But companies market the product for use to make whipped cream, selling it alongside vapes, bongs and gas station pills.

The lawsuit alleges the company knew of the risks of injury and death for both users and the general public from use of their product, and continued selling it because doing so “generated substantial profits.” The company did not return an emailed request for comment and has not yet responded in court.

The complaint alleges the company sells large quantities of nitrous oxide to smoke shops and liquor stores, not associated with food preparation. The company is accused of deliberately designing and marketing their product for recreational use.

The lawsuit also calls into question the very design of the canisters. It alleges the packages contain far more nitrous oxide than needed for household culinary use and come with a nozzle used to directly inhale gas from the canister.

The company sells 670g, 1350g and 2000g canisters, according to their website. Meanwhile, a standard “Whip-It!” cartridge has just 8 grams of nitrous oxide.

The size and configuration canisters, the complaint alleges, allow for recreational users to repeatedly inhale.

The family’s attorney argues that they have enough evidence to prove that Del Castillo was using nitrous behind the wheel.

“We believe that we can meet our civil burden of proof in proving that Mr. Del Castillo was using nitrous oxide behind the wheel of the car, and that was the cause of the crash,” said Willie Stein, attorney for the family and partner of Eureka law firm Janssen Malloy LLP.

Stein, who recently represented the family of a man who died in crash involving nitrous oxide use, noted “the biochemistry of nitrous oxide poses very serious problems for criminal prosecutors, in that it leaves the bloodstream and is no longer detectable in blood tests in about five minutes after use,” he said.

But the burden of proof for civil cases is different than criminal cases. Prosecutors must prove a claim “beyond a reasonable doubt,” in criminal cases, while civil cases instead must prove their claim is more likely than not.

The lawsuit, filed in August, states it seeks economic and noneconomic damages.

This crash came amid a local push by Humboldt County to ban the sale of nitrous oxide, formerly sold commonly at smoke shops and corner stores throughout Humboldt County.

More people are using the drug nationally, and dying from it. The most serious effects are neurological, caused by the drug’s quirk of deactivating B12, which the human body needs for essential tissues in the brain and spinal cord. The addictive qualities of the drug are particularly concerning, as repeated use over multiple days prevents the body from replenishing B12.

The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors banned the sale of nitrous oxide in the unincorporated county, with a few exceptions, a rule that went into effect in July 2025. Individual cities followed with similar ordinances, including Eureka, where sales were banned effective Jan. 1, 2026.

Since then, state laws passed in 2026 have tightened regulations in California. One banned the sale of containers that can hold more than 8 grams of nitrous oxide and those marketed as having the taste of food. The law also banned shops that sell cigarettes or tobacco from selling nitrous oxide. It will go into effect next year.

“With the current laws surrounding nitrous and driving, something must be done,” said Adam Gutshall, Anisha’s father, in a message relayed from Anisha’s aunt.

“How am I ever supposed to be anything less than broken? I miss the feeling of thinking I was a good dad. If anyone can take anything away from this tragic event, please let it be an understanding of the dangers of nitrous and the need for change.”