Lindsay Buziak took a real estate course in 2006. It was there that she met Jason Zailo, a licensed broker. The two hit it off and quickly became a couple, with Jason taking Lindsay under his wing. They worked for his mother, realtor Shirley Zailo, in Victoria, British Columbia.
Real estate appeared to be the perfect opportunity for someone as socially adept and self-motivated as Lindsay. She was able to exercise her strong people skills and gained financial freedom at the same time.
In late January of 2008, Lindsay received a phone call from a woman claiming she and her husband were desperate to buy a home relatively quickly as the latter had just been relocated to Victoria. The woman said they had a budget of one million dollars and that the home would have to be vacant and new. Since Lindsay was only a junior real estate agent, she questioned how the woman got a hold of her personal cellphone number. The woman claimed she had been referred to her by a previous client.
Lindsay hoped to thank whoever referred her. She asked around but none of her colleagues knew the mystery woman. Nevertheless, Lindsay was excited about the potentially large sale (and commission) and began scouring listings for possible homes for the mystery couple.
Within a matter of days, Lindsay found the perfect home for the couple — 1702 De Sousa Place. It was an extravagant million-dollar property in Saanich, British Columbia. Lindsay and the unknown woman shared at least 10 phone calls to discuss the details. The viewing was scheduled for Saturday, February 2, 2008, at 5:30 pm.
Lindsay later told Jason and her father Jeff Buziak that the unknown woman had a “strong Mexican or Spanish accent, but not really,” possibly insinuating that the accent may have been fake. The unknown woman was added to Lindsay’s phone contact list only as “Million Dollar.”
On February 2nd, Lindsay stopped by the Remax office where she worked and allegedly told the receptionist she felt “freaked out” and “weird” about the showing. She gave the mystery woman’s phone number to the receptionist to search the system and see if she had ties to any agents in Victoria, B.C. The search failed to come up with anything.
Although Lindsay was excited about such a large sale, she felt uneasy about the showing. Jeff encouraged her to forge ahead, reminding her that the sale could mean a huge payday, one worth thousands of dollars. Jeff allegedly also offered to do the showing for Lindsay, but she refused.
After leaving the Remax office, Lindsay and Jason decided to get a bite to eat in downtown Victoria. They paid the bill at 4:24 pm and went their separate ways. Lindsay drove home to change her clothes for the showing while Jason drove to a nearby auto shop whose owners had hired Lindsay to sell a property. Jason said he went there to present an offer to the couple on behalf of Lindsay.
Shortly after, Lindsay phoned Jason and informed him that she was on her way to the showing. Jason said he offered to meet her there to ease her concerns, but Lindsay declined. She was adamant to go through the showing alone. However, Jason decided he would go anyway, just in case.
Jason later told investigators that despite Lindsay’s refusal, he decided to go to the showing for two reasons; to act as an extra security measure and to hand over papers to Lindsay from the auto-shop owners.
Jason met his friend, Cohen Oatman, at the auto shop and asked him to accompany him to the house. Cohen left his vehicle at the auto shop and the two men drove to 1702 De Sousa Place together in Jason’s Range Rover. Security footage showed them leaving the auto shop at 5:30 pm.
Jason had a difficult time finding the house so he called Lindsay and asked her for directions. At the same time, the mystery couple arrived. Lindsay told Jason she had to go and texted him the address. Jason texted back saying he was on his way. Lindsay never opened that text message.
Jason and Cohen arrived at the home at approximately 5:45 pm. After waiting out front for approximately 10 minutes for Lindsay, Jason moved his car and parked near the back of the house. He later told the police he did that because he felt like a “nosey boyfriend.”
Jason then texted Lindsay asking if she was okay but she didn’t respond. By 6 pm, Lindsay had still not responded, prompting Jason to approach the front door, finding it to be locked. Jason found this to be unusual since front doors tend to be left open or unlocked during showings.
Jason rang the doorbell multiple times but no one answered. After failing to retain a code from the listing agent to gain access to the home, he phoned 911 at approximately 6:05 pm. Jason told the operator his girlfriend was showing a home and that he had followed her because she was, “kind of scared.” After providing the details to the operator, Jason hung up.
It was at this time that Jason and Cohen walked to the side of the house where they found a back door wide open, surrounded by an enclosed patio. Jason propped Cohen up helping him jump over the enclosed fence and into the home. Cohen then ran to the front door, unlocking it for Jason, who immediately ran up the stairs. According to Jason, Cohen did a “sweep” downstairs, while Jason checked upstairs.
Jason found bloody footprints leading to Lindsay’s body in the master bedroom. She had suffered multiple stab wounds to her head and chest and had no pulse. Jason yelled out to Cohen who placed the second call to 911 at 6:11 pm.
Lindsay was believed to have been murdered between 5:38 and 5:41 pm, based on a pocket dial from her phone around that time. Investigators believe the call was initiated during a struggle with her attackers, and that she had been surprised and attacked from behind because she had no defensive wounds.
Jason and Cohen were ultimately cleared by surveillance footage from the auto shop, proving they could not have committed the murder. The owner of the property was also cleared. Jason also passed a polygraph test, and despite cooperating with the investigation and several additional interviews over the years, he refuses to provide a DNA sample.
Jason told investigators he saw a male figure through the windows by the front door as he turned onto the street. It is believed that the attackers fled via the back door upon being spooked by the sound of his car. It is suspected they left on foot since the only vehicle in the area was Lindsay’s BMW which was parked in the driveway.
The house was searched for evidence but a murder weapon was never located. The burner phone used by the mystery woman to contact Lindsay was registered under the name “Paulo Rodriquez” and was determined to be fake. Cellphone pings proved the owner of the burner phone traveled to the island via BC Ferries the day prior to the murder. Police are aware of where the phone was purchased and by whom but they have not yet determined if that person is involved in Lindsay’s murder.
Witnesses saw Lindsay’s attackers arrive at the house, which was situated in a small cul-de-sac with a total of only four homes. They described the woman as being between 35 to 40 with blonde hair. She wore a dress with a very unique and distinctive pink, white, and black pattern. The man was 6 feet tall with a medium build and dark brown hair. He wore a brown jacket.
When searching Lindsay’s computer, investigators discovered that multiple Facebook messages were missing. Lindsay, an avid Facebook user, had over 700 people on her friend’s list and all of her posts and messages from a span of two weeks leading up to her death were gone. Additionally, several of Lindsay’s Facebook friends were involved in illegal drug trafficking.
Investigators also discovered that Lindsay visited a friend while on a trip to Calgary in December of 2007. That individual was arrested on January 22, 2008, for being involved in a substantially large drug bust. At one point, it was theorized that Lindsay was murdered by the drug cartel who believed she was a police informant, however, this theory was quickly thrown out based on the fact that the murder was considered too ‘amateur’ and that Lindsay herself was not involved in drug trafficking or drug use.
Investigators believe Lindsay was killed by someone who had access to her work office and they believe it was personal based on the fact that she was stabbed 40 times. For quite a long time, Jason Zailo and his mother, Shirley were the prime suspects, however, they were officially cleared in 2010.
The following theories/motives regarding Shirley’s involvement in Lindsay’s murder have erupted over the years:
- Many say the sketch of the female attacker is eerily similar to Shirley but with a wig. However, one would expect that Lindsay would have still been able to recognize Shirley even if she were wearing a wig.
- Some theorize that the Zailo family was involved in illegal drug trafficking through the Remax business and that Shirley is the “mother” of the operation. The motive in this theory is that Lindsay had this knowledge and Shirley was afraid she would inform the authorities.
- Lindsay was about to break up with Jason and Shirley had her killed by hiring two hitmen It has also been theorized that Lindsay may have been pregnant and Shirley did not want her to “ruin” her son’s life.
- Jason passed a polygraph but they aren’t reliable and can’t be used in court. He has consistently refused to hand over a DNA sample — why? If Shirley is involved, Jason’s DNA would implicate her. On the other hand, Lindsay was Jason’s girlfriend which meant his DNA would be all over her anyway, and he was in the house before the authorities, who claimed the crime scene was contaminated. Due to this, the murder could have been pinned on Jason even if he was innocent. Also, his lawyer may have advised him not to provide a DNA sample.
- Lindsay’s father, Jeff believes the drug theory is to blame for her death.
In 2017, a dress that is said to be the exact one worn by the mystery woman was found and purchased at a Value Village (a thrift store) in Victoria, B.C., by a friend of Lindsay’s. A week later, an individual posted a “confession” on Lindsay Buziak Murder, a highly criticized website run by Jeff Buziak where individuals can leave tips on a public forum. The individual wrote, “I killed Lindsey and stupid cops will never prove it so you all got nothin.“
Jeff Buziak holds a walk every year to ensure the community doesn’t forget about Lindsay. He has devoted his life to catching his daughter’s killer(s).
On February 1, 2021, a day before the 13th anniversary of Lindsay’s murder, it was announced that a new task force consisting of the Saanich Police, the RCMP, and the FBI had been formed to solve the case. They are currently investigating new leads brought on by advancements in DNA technology.
The new task force will re-examine and re-test evidence from the crime scene. Hopefully, this will bring an end to the 15-year-long mystery, and give Lindsay Buziak the justice that she deserves.
If you have any information about the murder of Lindsay Buziak, contact Saanich Police Department at (250) 475–4356 or toll-free at 1–888–980–1919.