Murder of Lindsay Buziak

Background and the fateful appointment

Lindsay Buziak was born in 1983 to Jeff and Evelyn Buziak and had one sister, Sara. By early 2008, she was an ambitious and popular young agent building a promising career in Victoria's real estate market. Her boyfriend was Jason Zailo, a member of a prominent local family with significant real estate interests. In late January, Buziak received a call on her personal cell phone from a woman with a foreign accent. The caller, using a fake name, claimed she and her husband urgently needed to buy a home with a budget of one million dollars. Buziak was unnerved by the call, particularly by how the stranger obtained her number, but she relayed her concerns to Zailo and her father. Zailo encouraged her to pursue the lucrative commission, and he offered to accompany her to the showing for safety. Buziak arranged a viewing for 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 2, at a property on De Sousa Place, a small cul de sac in the Gordon Head area of Saanich. The home was number 1702 at the outer end of the cul de sac, where the property fence ran parallel to the main thoroughfare of Torquay Drive.

Events leading to the murder

On the afternoon of the murder, Buziak and Zailo finished a late lunch at a restaurant, paying their bill at 4:24 p.m. They then departed in separate vehicles. It is believed Buziak returned home to change before the appointment. Zailo travelled to an automobile repair shop to pick up a colleague, which made him late. Closed circuit television footage from the auto shop showed Zailo leaving with his colleague at 5:30 p.m., the exact time of the scheduled showing. Buziak and Zailo exchanged several text messages about his delay. The caller had told Buziak she would come alone, but two witnesses saw a couple matching the later descriptions walking up the cul de sac at 5:30 p.m. The witnesses observed Buziak greet and shake hands with the couple in a manner that suggested she did not know them before all three entered the house at 1702 De Sousa Place.

The murder and discovery

Zailo and his colleague arrived at the cul de sac at approximately 5:40 p.m. As he drove to the property, Zailo saw a figure through the mottled glass of the home's front door. He parked outside for about ten minutes but then drove to another street to wait, not wanting to interfere. After waiting another ten minutes, Zailo texted Buziak to check on her, but she never opened the message. After a total of twenty minutes, Zailo went to the front door, found it locked, and saw Buziak's shoes in the entrance hall through the glass. While Zailo was on the phone with the operator, his colleague found a gap in the back garden fence, entered, and saw the back patio door was wide open. He summoned Zailo, who told the operator they were entering the house before ending the call. The colleague went through the main level to unlock the front door for Zailo, who immediately ran upstairs. Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene. The autopsy revealed she had been stabbed multiple times with no defensive wounds, indicating a surprise attack likely from behind. Nothing was stolen from her, and there was no evidence of sexual assault.

Initial police investigation and forensic findings

Zailo and his colleague were taken into custody but released without charge after their alibi was verified by the timestamped auto shop surveillance footage. The Saanich Police Department stated Zailo has been interviewed several times over the years and has always cooperated, having also passed a polygraph test. The crime scene was forensically clean, yielding no DNA, fingerprints, or other physical evidence, leading police to conclude the murder was well organized and executed by people who had killed before. The police theory is that the killers were leaving through the front door as Zailo first arrived, then fled out the back patio door, through the garden fence, and to a vehicle on Torquay Drive. This aligns with witnesses seeing the couple walk up the cul de sac and the confirmation that all vehicles in the cul de sac belonged to residents. The prepaid cell phone used to contact Buziak was purchased in Vancouver months earlier, activated under the fake name Paulo Rodriguez, and had never been used until the call to Buziak. It was registered to a legitimate but randomly chosen business address in Vancouver. Cell tower pings showed the phone travelled on the ferry from Vancouver to Victoria the day before the murder. The phone was deactivated immediately after the killing and never used again, supporting the theory it was acquired solely for the crime.

Investigated theories and dismissed connections

Police investigated Zailo's family connections because the cul de sac, De Sousa Place, was named for developer Joe De Sousa, a friend and business associate of Shirley Zailo, Jason's mother. De Sousa was at the construction site an hour before the murder, but police have stated no one in the Zailo family is a suspect. In 2010, an episode of NBC's Dateline revealed that about eight weeks before her murder, Buziak tried to contact a friend of an ex boyfriend in Calgary. That friend was arrested on January 22, 2008, in Alberta's largest drug bust at the time. This led to speculation a drug cartel ordered her death, believing she was an informant. Detectives and crime scene experts, including Yolanda McClary and Dwayne Stanton, investigated but eliminated this motive. They concluded Buziak was not an informant and the personal, brutal nature of the murder did not fit a professional hired killer's method. Another theory involved links to the BC Legislature raids of 2003, as wiretaps had been placed on phones associated with Zailo's social circle due to drug trafficking investigations. This theory was also dismissed because Buziak had no known involvement with drugs and was not on any witness list. Investigators maintain the murder was personal and planned by someone with access to inside information, possibly from her real estate office.

Strange incidents and public records revelations

Later in 2008, a close friend of Buziak named Nikki claimed she received a disturbing middle of the night phone call from a woman with a strange, unplaceable accent. Remembering Buziak's client had a similar accent, Nikki became scared and called the originating number repeatedly until it was answered by Shirley Zailo. Zailo told Nikki she had intended to call her secretary, also named Nikki, and presumed her son Jason must have added the number to her contacts. Shirley Zailo denies this event occurred, and it is not publicly known if police investigated the claim. In August 2017, a taunting message was posted on a website run by Jeff Buziak stating, I killed Lindsey [sic] and stupid cops will never prove it. In 2020, the Capital Daily obtained public records revealing previously unpublished details. The documents showed police were aware of two phones used by the suspects one to contact Buziak and another to check the first phone's voicemail. The records also indicated unusual internet activity associated with Buziak before her death and that police initially suspected violent criminals on her Facebook friends list may have played a role.

Renewed investigative efforts and task force

In February 2021, Saanich police announced that advancements in DNA analysis and other technology had created new leads. A new investigative task force was established, comprising fresh investigators taking another look at the case. This task force has obtained assistance from the FBI and continued support from the RCMP, with both agencies helping develop new leads and forensic evidence. The team is examining all possible suspects, reviewing and retesting all physical evidence from the crime scene, and analyzing digital evidence. They are specifically leveraging advancements in forensic genealogy, which has solved other cold cases. Investigators are conducting new interviews and have made public appeals for information, acknowledging that people with knowledge may not have come forward initially due to close relationships with those involved or concern for their reputation. Police stress that relationships and perspectives change over time and it is not too late to provide information. As of 2026, the case remains unsolved and active, with police urging anyone with information about February 2, 2008, to contact their dedicated tip line.

Community remembrance and ongoing legacy

Jeff Buziak, Lindsay's father, leads an annual walk each February in remembrance of his daughter and to keep public attention on the unsolved case. The murder of Lindsay Buziak continues to be a source of speculation and concern within the Victoria area and across Canada. The case highlights the vulnerabilities of real estate agents and other professionals who meet clients in isolated settings. The sustained police commitment, including the formation of a dedicated task force with federal assistance, demonstrates the ongoing effort to achieve justice. The police maintain that someone in the community likely has information that could solve the crime, and they continue to ask for the public's help to finally identify the man and woman who carried out this calculated murder.

Questions about Murder of Lindsay Buziak

Who was Lindsay Buziak?

Lindsay Buziak was a 24 year old real estate agent working in Victoria, British Columbia. She was described by family and friends as popular, caring, and ambitious at the start of her career. She was murdered on February 2, 2008, while showing a vacant home to a couple posing as clients. Her case is one of Canada's most high profile unsolved murders.

What was the motive for the murder?

The motive remains unknown. Police have investigated theories including a drug cartel hit and a personal connection but have dismissed the former. Investigators believe the crime was personal and meticulously planned by someone who may have had inside information about Buziak's schedule or the real estate office. The clean crime scene suggests experienced killers.

Who were the suspects seen with Lindsay Buziak?

Witnesses saw a man and a woman meet Buziak at the house. The man was described as about six feet tall with dark hair, and the woman was blond, between 35 and 45 years old, wearing a distinctively patterned dress. Their identities and the fake name used to contact Buziak, Paulo Rodriguez, have never been discovered. The phone used was bought for the sole purpose of the crime.

What were the circumstances of Lindsay Buziak's murder?

Lindsay Buziak was murdered on February 2, 2008, during a property viewing at 1702 De Sousa Place in Saanich. She had been lured there by a man and woman posing as prospective clients seeking a million dollar home. She was stabbed multiple times in the upstairs master bedroom. The murder remains unsolved.

Sources: Wikipedia and current public reporting, checked by the Nosy Mag desk. Last updated 2026-10-20.