A Rising Star in Victoria's Real Estate Scene
To understand why Lindsay's murder shocked so many people, you need to know who she was. In 2008, Lindsay was one of only twenty real estate agents in Victoria under the age of 25, a remarkable achievement in a competitive industry typically dominated by more experienced professionals. She wasn't just young – she was talented, bringing in $3.2 million worth of sales during her short time at Remax Camosun.
Lindsay had found her calling in real estate after getting her license in 2006. She started out selling upscale townhomes for the Maverick group before moving to Remax Camosun, where she worked alongside her boyfriend Jason Zailo and his mother Shirley, one of Victoria's top agents. The couple had met two years earlier during a real estate exam study group, and while Lindsay was dating someone else at the time, they eventually got together and moved into a one-bedroom condo near Victoria's inner harbor.
But by late 2007, cracks were beginning to show in their relationship. Lindsay had been confiding in her father, Jeff Buziak – himself a real estate agent in Calgary – that she was growing disillusioned with Jason. She complained that he lacked ambition and told friends she was considering ending things. The relationship troubles were significant enough that those close to Lindsay knew she was seriously contemplating a breakup.
Despite these doubts, Lindsay chose to stay with Jason as 2008 began. It was a decision that would place her in the crosshairs of whatever forces ultimately led to her death.
The Million Dollar Call
On February 1, 2008, Lindsay received a phone call that would change everything. A woman with what Lindsay described as a strong Mexican accent contacted her cell phone, claiming to have been referred by a friend of her husband's. The story was compelling: her husband's work was transferring him from Vancouver to Victoria, they needed to move quickly, and they had a budget of one million dollars.
The woman was very specific about what they needed. She wanted a house with a separate area for their housekeeper, and it had to be vacant so they could move in immediately. For a young agent like Lindsay, this was exactly the kind of client that could make her career – wealthy, motivated, and ready to buy.
Lindsay saved the contact information under "Million Dollar" in her phone and immediately got to work. She compiled a list of properties that met their criteria and emailed it to the client that same night. At the top of her list was 1702 DeSousa Place, a brand-new two-story house on a corner lot in a quiet cul-de-sac in Saanich.
The response was immediate and enthusiastic. The couple was interested in the DeSousa Place property and wanted to see it the very next day. There was just one problem – Lindsay had plans to attend a close friend's bachelorette party. But with a million-dollar sale on the line, she agreed to meet them at 5:30 PM, planning to head to the party afterward.
When Lindsay told Jason about the call, he found it odd that these wealthy clients had specifically requested her – a relatively new agent they'd never met. When she mentioned it to Shirley Zailo, Jason's mother even offered to handle the showing so Lindsay could attend the party. But Lindsay was determined to handle her own client, a decision that would prove fatal.
Red Flags and Growing Concerns
The day of the showing, February 2nd, the red flags began multiplying. The woman called Lindsay's office landline, and when Jason answered, she told him she'd try Lindsay's cell instead. Jason later described her accent as sounding like "broken Spanish," consistent with what Lindsay had told him about their first conversation.
Lindsay asked the office receptionist to search the company database for any information about the couple. The search came up empty – there was no record of them ever buying or selling real estate, which was unusual for clients claiming to have been referred by someone in the industry.
Then came another wrinkle: the woman's husband called to say he would be meeting Lindsay alone, as his wife could no longer attend. This change made Lindsay even more nervous. During dinner with Jason that evening, she asked him to wait outside in his car during the showing – a precaution that likely saved his life but couldn't save hers.
The Setup
Jason picked up a friend around 5 PM, planning to play hockey after Lindsay's showing. They drove to DeSousa Place, but Jason had trouble finding the address because the house was so new it wasn't yet in his GPS system. At 5:30 PM, he called Lindsay for directions. Just as she was about to help him, she suddenly said, "I've got to go, they're here," and hung up.
What happened next was witnessed by neighbors who saw Lindsay standing at the front door of 1702 DeSousa Place. A man and woman approached the house, and Lindsay shook hands with both of them. The woman appeared to be in her late thirties or early forties, with short blonde hair and wearing an oddly patterned dress. The man was about six feet tall and wore a medium or light-colored jacket.
After the brief introduction, Lindsay welcomed them into the house and closed the door behind them. It was the last time anyone would see her alive.
The Attack
Lindsay began the showing by walking upstairs to show the second level. As she reached the master bedroom, she was attacked from behind. The assault was swift and brutal – she was stabbed multiple times between 5:38 and 5:41 PM.
During the attack, Lindsay's phone accidentally dialed a friend she hadn't spoken to in a long time. The call went to voicemail, recording only muffled sounds that police later determined provided no useful information. It was a tragic detail – in her final moments, Lindsay's phone reached out for help, but no one was there to answer.
Meanwhile, Jason sat outside in his Range Rover, completely unaware of the horror unfolding inside. Around 5:45 PM, he and his friend noticed two figures standing behind the front door of the house, apparently putting on their shoes. When one of the figures noticed the car's headlights, they turned away. Assuming the showing was still in progress and not wanting to interfere, Jason drove down the block to wait.
The Discovery
By 6 PM, Jason was growing concerned. He texted Lindsay but received no response. He drove back to the house and tried calling – still nothing. Fear growing, Jason and his friend got out of their vehicle and began banging on the door, calling Lindsay's name. Both the front door and side door were locked.
That's when Jason called 911.
As they waited for police, Jason noticed the back doors were wide open. He boosted his friend over the fence, who ran into the house and unlocked the front door. The scene that greeted Jason was a nightmare – bloody footprints on the stairs leading to the second floor.
He ran upstairs and found Lindsay slumped against the wall in a pool of blood. He immediately called for an ambulance and attempted CPR, but it was too late. Later, he would tell investigators that all he could hear was air escaping through the wounds in Lindsay's body. She had been stabbed multiple times in what was clearly a vicious, personal attack.
The Investigation Begins
Lindsay's murder sent shockwaves through Victoria and eventually made international news. The brutality of the crime, combined with the elaborate setup, suggested this was far from a random killing. When police arrived, they immediately took Jason and his friend into custody for questioning – standard procedure given they were the ones who found the body.
Both men were extensively questioned and later released. Jason took a polygraph test and was eventually cleared as a suspect. Despite being the boyfriend of the victim and having relationship troubles, investigators found no evidence linking him to the murder.
The investigation revealed the sophisticated nature of the crime. This wasn't a spontaneous act of violence – it was a carefully planned execution that had been months in the making.
The Burner Phone Trail
In 2023, thanks to exhaustive investigative work by The Capital Daily, key details about the case became public through access to 1,500 pages of police court documents. What they revealed was chilling in its premeditation.
The phone used to contact Lindsay was a burner, purchased at a Vancouver convenience store in late 2007 using the fake name "Paulo Rodriguez." When police went to the store seeking surveillance footage, they discovered it had already been deleted or recorded over – whether by coincidence or design remains unknown.
The burner phone was used exclusively to contact Lindsay. After her murder, it was deactivated. This level of operational security suggests someone with experience in avoiding detection, possibly with connections to organized crime.
The Facebook Mystery
Another disturbing detail emerged from the court documents. Lindsay had 700 friends on Facebook in 2008, and her wall was typically active with posts from friends. But strangely, between January 3rd and February 3rd – the month leading up to her murder – no one posted anything on her wall.
Police discovered that posts had been deleted, though it's unclear by whom. They attempted to contact Facebook to retrieve the deleted messages, but whether they gained access remains unknown. Lindsay's friends had no explanation for why the messages were deleted, and her text messages provided no clues.
This digital cleansing suggests someone was monitoring Lindsay's online activity and removing potential evidence. But who had access to her account, and what were they trying to hide?
Theory One: Too Close to Home
One prevailing theory focuses on Lindsay's immediate circle. The fact that she was stabbed multiple times in what investigators describe as an "up close and personal" attack suggests her killer knew her well. The murder happened at a time when Lindsay was considering ending her relationship with Jason, which some see as significant.
Over the years, suspicion has particularly focused on Jason's mother, Shirley Zailo. Some theorists believe that Remax Camosun, where Lindsay worked with the Zailos, was involved in shady dealings including drug trafficking, mortgage fraud, money laundering, or embezzlement. The theory suggests that when Lindsay threatened to break up with Jason, Shirley became concerned about what Lindsay might know and arranged to have her killed.
This theory is supported by the fact that whoever killed Lindsay clearly worked in real estate – they knew exactly how to lure her to an isolated location using industry-specific language and procedures. They also knew her schedule and habits well enough to plan the perfect trap.
Theory Two: The Calgary Connection
The second major theory centers on Lindsay's connections to Calgary's drug underworld, specifically through Operation High Noon, one of Alberta's biggest drug busts.
In December 2007, just two months before her murder, Lindsay visited Calgary to see her father and old friends. During this trip, she met up with Erickson Delalcazar, an old acquaintance who would soon find himself at the center of a massive cocaine trafficking operation.
On January 26, 2008, just a week before Lindsay's murder, Delalcazar was arrested in Operation High Noon, which led to the seizure of $8 million worth of cocaine. Police had uncovered a sophisticated operation smuggling drugs directly from Mexico to Canada, bypassing the United States entirely.
After returning from Calgary, Lindsay had attempted to contact a relative of someone involved in the drug bust, visiting their Facebook page and trying to call them. The timing is significant – on February 1st, the day before Lindsay was murdered, Delalcazar was denied bail.
While police have stated publicly that Lindsay wasn't involved in drug trafficking and wasn't an informant, some theorists believe her Calgary connections may have made her a target. Perhaps she knew something about the operation, or maybe her contact with people connected to the bust was misinterpreted by paranoid criminals.
The sophisticated nature of Lindsay's murder – the burner phone, the fake identity, the careful planning – all suggest the work of professional criminals rather than amateur killers motivated by personal relationships.
A Case That Refuses to Die
Fifteen years later, Lindsay Buziak's murder remains unsolved despite multiple investigations, FBI involvement, and advances in DNA technology. In 2021, new investigators were assigned to the case, working alongside federal agents, but no arrests have been made.
Lindsay's father, Jeff Buziak, has become a tireless advocate for his daughter, frequently criticizing the Saanich Police Department's handling of the case and appearing on shows like Dr. Phil to keep attention focused on finding her killer.
The case has generated extensive online discussion, with amateur sleuths analyzing every detail and developing their own theories. Websites, podcasts, and social media groups are dedicated to solving Lindsay's murder, keeping public interest alive even as official investigations seem to stagnate.
The Questions That Haunt
What makes Lindsay Buziak's murder so compelling and frustrating is how much we know and how little it seems to matter. We know the killers were a man and woman. We know they used sophisticated operational security. We know the murder was carefully planned months in advance. We know Lindsay was specifically targeted.
But we still don't know who wanted her dead or why.
Was it someone in her professional circle who saw her as a threat? Was it connected to her relationship troubles with Jason? Did her Calgary connections make her a target for organized crime? Or was there something else entirely – some secret aspect of Lindsay's life that hasn't come to light?
The murder weapon was never found. The killers vanished without a trace. Despite witness descriptions and extensive investigation, no arrests have ever been made.
A Life Cut Short
Lindsay Buziak was just 24 years old when she died. She was building a successful career, navigating relationship challenges, and trying to figure out her future like any young adult. She had dreams, ambitions, and people who loved her.
Someone decided she had to die, and they went to extraordinary lengths to make it happen. They created an elaborate trap, used sophisticated counter-surveillance techniques, and executed their plan with military precision.
Fifteen years later, they're still walking free.
For Lindsay's family and friends, every day that passes without answers is another day that justice is denied. For the community, an unsolved murder of this magnitude creates lasting unease – if someone could orchestrate Lindsay's killing with such precision and avoid detection for so long, what does that say about everyone else's safety?
Lindsay Buziak deserved better than to become a cautionary tale about the dangers of showing houses to strangers. She deserved a chance to build the life she was working toward, to make her own choices about love and career, to grow old and share her stories with future generations.
Sources
https://www.capitaldaily.ca/news/the-case-the-internet-got-wrong
https://saanichpolice.ca/2021/02/01/investigation-into-the-murder-of-lindsay-buziak-08-2682/