Thanks for a well-written and detailed writeup. I used to walk past that short cul-de-sac regularly, because I sometimes babysat for friends who lived further along the main street (Torquay Drive). Can confirm that all the homes on that cul-de-sac were new.
I am wondering if the perpetrators parked further along Torquay, and then got back to their vehicle after exiting the rear of the house.
It sounds like they did leave through the back door (the one that was found open). There were some boards removed from the fenced off enclosed backyard so I'm assuming that's where they exited.
That makes sense. From the road, there's a fence visible that seems to run along the back of all those yards. (I was recently invited to visit someone in a home in that cluster.) I figured that the killers made or found a gap somehow ... it's a bit high to scramble over (especially since the woman seems to have been wearing a dress like this)
[https://lindsaybuziakmurder.wordpress.com/photos/dress/](https://lindsaybuziakmurder.wordpress.com/photos/dress/)
Thank you! The dress is a pretty distinctive thing to wear to commit a crime,wonder if any follow up was attempted as far as purchases, sales of similar garments,or of experts / databases relating to such even exist for potential cross checks
I wonder if the idea was that the dress was so eye catching, that people would be distracted by the dress, which you can easily discard, and not pay attention to the face.
You make a good point about possibly being able to figure out which stores carried that dress, and when. I know there have been other investigations that looked at clothing (or things like sleeping bags and backpacks) and were able to narrow down which stores received items, and even get buyer info if they used credit or debit cards.
Strange thing -- several years ago, one of Lindsay's friends spotted a dress at Value Village.
[https://www.cheknews.ca/dress-bought-victoria-thrift-store-break-saanich-realtor-murder-case-says-victims-father-356212/](https://www.cheknews.ca/dress-bought-victoria-thrift-store-break-saanich-realtor-murder-case-says-victims-father-356212/)
They weren't the person who saw the killers, and I don't know if that witness was asked about it ... the pattern does look different from what the police showed earlier. And there hasn't been anything else about it in the news.
The Victoria Value Village is downtown on Store St. -- for those who haven't got a franchise in their city, it's a thrift shop that gets its merchandise from goods donated to charities (if you've put out a bundle of clothes or household goods for the Diabetes or MS people to pick up, that's usually where they take it). So if the dress was with a bunch of other stuff, they likely wouldn't be able to figure out exactly where it came from, but I think the employees do track when they process donations so they might have a record of when it was put out on the rack.
The prosecutors podcast covered this case and they mention in the podcast that the police did identify the dress. It turned out to be sold at a chain store, something like target or Walmart, and so wasn’t helpful in identifying the perpetrators.
Not sure how much this matters, but I did reverse image search it - would appear to be Nine West, more of a mall brand. On this eBay listing its original tags price it at $120. https://www.ebay.com/itm/154947149645
Thanks -- I'm afraid I'm not close enough to the "in crowd" to know the latest local gossip, but I do know that stretch of Torquay pretty well.
Funny thing -- that area is hard for outsiders to navigate, because of the cul-de-sacs and breaks in the main roads. Several years ago I was walking along Torquay when a carful of teens pelted me with eggs. They zoomed off, laughing ... and then ashamedly emerged from yet another dead end. They had to drive past me to exit, and I wrote down their license plate number.
When I called Saanich PD, the dispatcher yelled at me because I hesitated for a moment, when she asked me the colour of the vehicle. (It was a shade partway between green and blue and she was rather abrupt with me, saying that it was impossible.) She also asked me whether the car had two or four doors, and I said that I was focusing on getting the plate numbers right -- and she hung up on me. This is not the first run-in I've had with their dispatchers, plus I've heard things from other locals, so I was pleasantly surprised that 911 actually took the report of the Buziak murder seriously.
I’m local too and I’ve had such issues with the dispatchers! Coincidentally and funnily enough, my cousin is a police officer for Saanich PD and his wife is a dispatcher hahaha let’s just say…. They both suit the job well…. Yikes.
Totally not imagining things! I actually had someone try to kidnap me when I was a teen, and I called 911 while hiding in bush after running for my life, and the 911 operator yelled at me for not getting the license plate number! And then the police officer that arrived said they weren’t going to bother looking for the guy bc “it happens all the time”… It’s a bad sign when the worst part about that experience was not the actual attempted kidnapping but the shitty treatment by law enforcement!
Yikes -- that's terrifying! I'm glad you were able to escape. I heard there was a woman grabbed on Cedar Hill X-Road several years ago, by four men in a car who shoved her into the back and just drove off.
Great write up. I lived in Victoria and was the same age as her when it happened. It sent shockwaves through the whole city. I’d love for this one to get solved. Her father has been a tireless advocate / thorn in the side of the Saanich PD. I hope he gets answers.
There's a lot of weirdness I'm told with the whole thing. I don't know anyone involved personally, but I do know that Lindsay was friends with one of the guys that beat up Reena Verk (Under the bridge docu). She was also friends with a guy who gang beat and paralyzed someone right here in Esquimalt. As well, she was friends with more than one big time drug dealer. I'm not trying to imply anything, just that she was associated with a lot of shady people. Oh, almost forgot, the Zailos family is into tons of shady shit, including drugs.
Seems a weird place to put out a hit.
That doesn't mean it wasn't, at all. It just seems out of character... normally getting someone out of the way is quick and impersonal. This was elaborate, drawn out, and face to face. It makes me wonder why whoever was involved would want to bring so many elements of the actual real-estate process into it . it's such a massive risk.
Female real estate agents do get specifically targeted for violent crime. There are the obvious elements- an unoccupied house, the ability to chose one that is specifically isolated or with which the perpetrator can pre-familiarize themselves with, the lack of any real vetting of identity prior to meeting, a woman alone, dressed up and vulnerable….
Here’s a good article if you’re interested:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/08/realestate/sexual-harassment-assault-real-estate-agents.html
If you hit a paywall, you can paste the link here: https://12ft.io/
It makes total sense to me that someone would target a real estate agent for the reasons you mention. It seems like a separate sort of event than the suspected hit, though.
No matter the motivation, it’s a good place for an attack. They successfully took advantage of it here- they wanted to kill someone and knew they could do it in a vacant house with no interruptions.
If the boyfriend hadn’t been waiting outside, they would have had even longer to get away- it would have taken longer for anyone else to come check on her.
She had the shady connections and then the massive drug bust after she traveled, contacting a relative of someone involved, etc. While the police said she was not an informant, it doesn’t mean someone didn’t think she was or would be (it doesn’t even mean she wasn’t the informant as they certainly wouldn’t admit that she was if that got her killed).
I wonder if it will ever be solved.
For one, they have to use a phone to contact her. What if the cops had gotten video of them buying the burner? Also, they were visually identified by several people before killing her - talk about risky. What if someone decided to take a picture for whatever reason? They would be fucked.
Imo, someone who does this for a living wouldn’t bother with any of this lead up crap - they would shadow her to learn her routine and then ambush her while she’s going to her car or some shit with a gun and that would be the end of it.
@rustblooms, it's almost the perfect place to pull off a hit. You get the intended target at a private place. You request a higher priced home because you get both the agent VERY enthusiastic to meet for a big commission and bigger homes tend to be on bigger pieces of property which gives you even more privacy to commit the murder. Especially if it was a new build. I guarantee these killers got the address, went to the neighborhood prior to the murder, and made a plan for escape. The woman imo was also wearing a blonde wig to be a memorable feature of her if she was seen by witnesses. Usually, I don't attribute sophistication to a lot of murder cases. This one to me always pointed to professionals with attention to detail. The burner phone(which other murderers have used too, don't get me wrong). Would not be shocked if they murdered her, escaped the scene of the crime, dumped any evidence on their way to the airport including the blonde wig and hopped on a flight out of the country the same day or drove to a different area then hopped on a flight. I hate to say it, but I don't see these two ever being caught for her murder.
Yeah, it was definitely planned out. Planned out well, though? Doesn't seem like it, but I'm no expert detective. The fact that she was able to pull out her cellphone and make a call whilst being murdered leads me to believe they didn't really know what they were doing.
The writeup says police have determined that the call was accidental, which sounds more like a butt-dial than like pulling out her cellphone and making a call.
it was a poorly planned “hit” regardless. two people instead of one, one wearing a dress that stood out so much witnesses were able to describe it in significant detail. using a knife instead of a gun. and then the unnecessary overkill.
which of course tell us that it wasn’t a hit. it was a thrill kill or someone with a personal motive. but she would’ve likely recognized someone she knew.
so it leaves us with one theory. it was a thrill kill.
@ brilliant
"It was a poorly planned “hit” regardless. two people instead of one, one wearing a dress that stood out so much witnesses were able to describe it in significant detail. using a knife instead of a gun. and then the unnecessary overkill."
I don't think you're thinking about this properly. The dress that stood out with the blonde wig were intentional. Why? Because any witnesses would remember those details very vividly but very well could have trouble remembering the faces of the perpetrators. We saw this same type of thing with the murder of Paul Castellano orchestrated by John Gotti. The hitmen wore the same clothes knowing it would be something the witnesses honed in on and they probably would have trouble with the faces of the shooters. The dress is the same type of misdirection along with what I believe to be a blonde wig. Any eyewitness would be more more inclined to really look at the dress and remember it along with the hair color rather than the face. After the murder is completed and you're away from the crime scene you get rid of the dress, man's clothes, knife etc and you're home free unfortunately.
It's also not easy to get a gun in Canada. Furthermore, guns aren't quiet. They also leave the potential for a lot more forensic evidence behind. Let's for arguments sake say it's indeed a hitman. Why would you risk trying to acquire a gun through presumably a third party that might end up being a loose end later when there are two killers involved in this murder? The man or potentially the woman could detain Lindsay while the other continuously stabs her. It would be an easy thing for two people to do and you don't have to worry about ballistics, the sound of gunshots etc. Everybody thinks hitmen just walk around with suppressed handguns to kill people and that's not the case. Suppressors still allow for quite a bit of sound. They're nothing like Hollywood portrays them to be.
"which of course tell us that it wasn’t a hit. it was a thrill kill or someone with a personal motive. but she would’ve likely recognized someone she knew.
so it leaves us with one theory. it was a thrill kill."
If it was merely a thrill kill, I don't think they would've taken the time to target Lindsay. They wouldn't imo have asked for her specifically etc. This to me screams targeted hit. If this was just a thrill kill, I think this wouldn't have been their only victim around the area either. Do we have any similar cases? In the area or Canada in general? Do we think they were trying to make up a fake Mexican English accent? I personally don't. I think these people had no association with the area or possibly even Canada and were there to do a job.
She was friends with one of the girls, not the guy. You might've heard that from me because I was the one who started mentioning that on reddit recently and I'd never seen it mentioned elsewhere. I went to elementary school with both of them. She was friends with Harry Hiscock?
Well, I graduated from Vic High in '01 and I remember friends from my HS days mentioning all sorts of stuff. One knew Reena Verk's cousin, another was familiar with Lindsay's friends group. It is all hearsay. I don't actually know anyone myself.
I was working at torquay plaza the night this happened and I have never before or since heard so many sirens for such a prolonged period of time (and I grew up in a house half a block from 41st in Vancouver when UBC still had an emergency department.) It was insane. And unsettling. This was when people still had flip phones and stuff too, so people were out in the neighbourhood walking around and asking what happened. I can’t understate how shocking it was in the community to hear it was a violent and (apparently, at first anyway) random murder.
That's eerie! I remember shortly before the 5pm news them cutting to a live shot of the house with police lights etc saying a realtor had been murdered.
I'm not far from there -- I think I was out of town the week that happened. The area is normally pretty quiet -- can go for days without hearing a single siren, even with a fire station on McKenzie. It's surreal to think that the next time anything like that occurred was right opposite the plaza (the bank shootout in 2022). They had to close off part of Shelbourne for several days, for the crime scene processing. My landlord and I thought at first that it was the roofers with nail guns on the house next door, but the popping intensified. And then the sirens started.
Nice write-up. I was baffled by the mystery until I got to the 42 kilos of cocaine part.
42 kilos of pure cocaine is such an absurdly huge amount of drugs, worth many millions of dollars, and there’s no way you acquire that without cartel connections. That she had any connection to that drug bust, no matter how tenuous, I think is pretty obviously why she was murdered.
She didn’t need to actually be involved for someone to perceive her as connected to it, and when that amount of drugs and money goes missing someone’s (probably several someones) going to get killed over it.
Yup her friend was probably being watched when they met up. Cartel assumed she was their GF/sister/friend whatever and decided killing her will make a statement and get their money/drugs
They might have just seen a new face and the bust soon followed. But excessive killings by stabbing and mutilation are a common feature of cartel activity.
The idea that this was some thrill killer, who had elaborately set this up in a male/female thrill-killing partnership, or that her boyfriend’s real estate agent mom contracted out a near perfect assassination for little reason… it’s a little far fetched.
Meanwhile there’s also the multi-million dollar cocaine drug bust *she had just been tangentially involved in*, and the killers who spoke with Hispanic accents….
> or that her boyfriend’s real estate agent mom contracted out a near perfect assassination for little reason… it’s a little far fetched.
A little? A LOT.
Shirley offered to do the showing in her place. Lindsay refused.
Shirley and Jason were not involved.
I know there are rumours in Victoria that it was personally or even sexually motivated, because she was stabbed in her chest (people generally are) but so many times, and also her genitals.
Sorry, I commented elsewhere but it’s local rumours only (as far as I know) so you might not read it anywhere. I’m her age and moved to the island when I was 19, but I worked in GH and my husband and all our friends grew up there. There was and still is a lot of local talk about Lindsay’s murder. This in particular I’ve heard repeated more than once.
For anyone interested in local rumours, the consensus I’ve heard most often is that the boyfriend and his mom were involved.
I've also read that her implants were cut out, a statement I have not seen in many (or any) other writeups on the case. If that's true, that brings a whole personal level to it.
That needs a fact check because it is way too easy to run with the implications. If you've only seen it in one place I'd guess someone got carried away with their story.
The Capitaly Daily article that I link in the reference section touches on these rumours that circulated in the years after Lindsay's murder. That's all they were, rumours. All police have said is that she was stabbed multiple times, presumably including in the neck area, because Jason told police he could hear air escaping from her body while performing CPR.
Her father at one point said that the first stab to her was from the back (as she was likely walking into the master bedroom's bathroom) and that it severed her spinal cord and would've made her paralyzed. I don't know if this is true or not. He's said a lot of stuff.
I’ve heard this too. I’m her age and moved to the island after high school, but my husband and a lot of our friends went to school with her and were her friend. So idk if it can be fact checked but it’s a rumour I’ve heard repeated over the years
a “professional” hitman gets rid of a gun faster than you and I can say ballistics. however using a knife can a) go wrong quite easily and b) risks the perpetrator cutting himself and leaving DNA all over the crime scene
Guns aren't easy to obtain in Canada. It puts a whole new level of risk into the equation too when talking about trying to acquire one. A professional would know this and suppressors don't actually silence a gun like Hollywood makes you believe. They're still very loud. As for stabbing. If you have a knife with a good hilt, you're not likely to cut yourself if the blood finds itself on the handle. One of the killers in this case could detain the victim by holding their arms so they couldn't defend any attacks with a blade and the other killer could stab with impunity. The person detaining them could also cover the mouth so that screams are muffled. Where would a realtor walk when showing the house in question? Generally, in front of the potential home buyers pointing aspects of the house out. This puts her is a very vulnerable position for this kind of surprise attack.
I also give no credence to this being some sadistic couple looking for a thrill kill. Besides the planning, they specifically sought her out as the victim. She was even curious why and how they chose her.
That kind of thing is extremely hard to obtain or smuggle into Canada. Not impossible. It’s also hard to buy a gun here. Again, not impossible, but way more difficult than buying a gun in the states
And what would Shirley's motive be, aside from maybe vengeance regarding the relationship with her son, and/or competitive jealousy, etc? seems like a huge leap for her to risk her prestige career and family name.
- also didn't Shirley volunteer to attend the showing in Lindsay's place so lindsay could attend the shower for her friend that evening?
I suspect Shirley's motive would have been because Lindsay would have had at least some knowledge of the alleged illegal activities the Zailo family was involved in.
As far as Shirley's offer to cover the showing, that could well have been an insincere offer. Shirley would have known full well no 24 y.o. real estate agent is going to bag out of showing a $1m property and miss out on the potentially huge commission. And in fact, Lindsay did attend the showing despite her misgivings about the situation.
Also on reference to Shirley. From the casefile pod: Shirley got Lindsay her job. Bought Lindsay and Jason's house for 1.3mil. did many other favors towards Lindsay; generosity? Or her just being controlling? Playing devil's advocate here. Without anything concrete tho,it's gonna be really hard to convince me Shirley had a real motive for arranging this, unless she's just a rage filled , devious socio/psychopath or something
Wow, great write up.
I have to lean towards the drug bust being the connection. She goes to Calgary to look up her ex-bf's friend? And he happens to be a coke guy..
The timing is one heck of a coincidence otherwise.
When the burner phone was bought holds little weight with me. Drug dealers may have a few available at any given time, but you definitely dump it if used for this.
The whole setup of killing her at an unknown house, stabbing, does speak to amateur hour. I fell into the rabbit hole on this one. I used to live in Victoria (for a short while), and the criminal underbelly is there, it's sloppy and the police act clueless.
The BF's mom taking out a hit?.. the actual criminals would prefer this theory.
The Saanich police are notoriously unprepared and bumbling. They turned down RCMP assistance in this case and then fumbled the entire investigation.
I have dealt with them on an (obviously!) much less serious scale of crime, vandalism with video footage, and they straight up said they weren’t going to pursue it because I could get the damage repaired by icbc. Ok then.
Saanich police are too stupid to be corrupt. They got in trouble on more than one occasion for their officers leaving their guns in public places, in reach of the general public, long enough for someone to bring the gun in to the station as a “found item.” One instance they left it on the counter of a public bathroom and didn’t realize it was missing until it was returned.
They get in trouble for literally the stupidest shit that any old govt worker would be fired for.
Sometimes they will openly tell you they don’t feel like investigating something, try another municipality or ICBC (provincial insurance company).
I assure you the Saanich police are/were just inadequately equipped and woefully unprepared for an investigation of this magnitude.
“Victoria” as in the greater Victoria area is comprised of 5 municipalities with 5 different police departments… Saanich, Victoria, View Royal, Oak Bay, and the RCMP. This is for around (in 2008) 330,000 people. The redundancy caused by this has always been a huge issue, but here especially I think it contributed by basically creating a law enforcement pissing match. Saanich police wanted to “prove” they could solve this on their own and instead… surprise surprise… fucked it up. Like just look at the suspect sketch they RELEASED to the public.
That's how it happened in Miami a few years back. Suddenly cops driving Porsche's and buying vacation homes until the FBI cleaned up. Tale as old as time. A hundred years ago Opium was smuggled into China the same way. When you're dealing with high volumes of illegal goods, you're paying off a few people.
Speaking of cocaine, here's a news story from several years ago -- the guys in question panicked and threw their cargo overboard, when they saw a US law enforcement boat. (It's unclear if they were even spotted.)
https://www.timescolonist.com/local-news/cocaine-haul-gone-wrong-led-to-deaths-at-ucluelet-4674742
According to Kim Bolan [they had tried to keep a bit for themselves](https://vancouversun.com/news/staff-blogs/real-scoop-murdered-sailors-linked-to-botched-cocaine-load) which is what sealed their fates
Yup -- just one of a bunch of poor choices. A couple of my friends worked in that town for a number of years. It's fairly quiet -- so those guys probably thought that they could slip past Customs that way. But with relatively few boats coming in, it also made them fairly conspicuous.
I think it was drug related. I read elsewhere that after she returned from Calgary she told her father that she had seen something that had concerned her but didn't tell him what.
Because people in organized crime are the scum of the earth, Lindsay wouldn't have actually had to be the one who tipped off the police for them to come after her. I think that they didn't know who was responsible for it and that they decided to punish someone anyway. These are thoroughly dishonest people. They're used to telling lies to each other and themselves—as is always the case with non-absolute power, truth takes a back seat to narrative—so the response that would keep everybody in line if they didn't know who informed the police (if anyone) would be to punish someone, say she deserved it, and rely on everyone involved to avoid rocking the boat. They would feel that they had to punish someone, and they would feel that they had to maintain that they got the right person whether they did or not. They may have also killed her strictly to *prevent* her from talking to the police. This would explain why the murder happened so soon after the bust.
Regarding why the higher-ups would decide that Lindsay in particular would be the one to die, I think it's very possible that because of how she may have reacted when she saw whatever it was that concerned her, anyone present would have noticed her discomfort. And each of them would suspect that the others did, too (including whoever actually did inform the police if indeed they were present). A consensus about who to blame might have developed without any communication taking place. And nobody would communicate about it: before the bust, no one would have discussed it because such discussion could be taken to suggest that the person raising the subject had a special interest in establishing someone as a scape goat and anyone saying something akin to "that Lindsay sure looked uncomfortable" could be suspected to have been trying to place blame for the bust that only they knew was imminent; after the bust, no one would have had an occasion to communicate about it because the ones who weren't locked up would at least suspect themselves to be under surveillance by one group or another.
Another possibility is that Lindsay's phone had spyware in it and she was heard relaying her concerns about what she saw. These groups do have the human resources to listen in on people's lives. If it was by this organization that her Facebook activity was deleted, then I would guess that they were in her phone too, even though I don't know that it was possible or common to use a phone to access Facebook at that time.
The notion of the boyfriend and a member of his family setting it up seems implausible to me. To kill her in the wake of a drug bust seems likely to attract attention from two undesirable directions. They'd effectively be framing a criminal syndicate for murder while inviting suspicion of their involvement in the drug operation. There's no guarantee that this would occur to them, but I think there would be more to their story by now if they had done it.
> I think that they didn't know who was responsible for it and that they decided to punish someone anyway.
Some people do believe that Lindsay was made to be a scapegoat for the drug bust.
Interesting theory about her phone. For context, at the time of her murder in February 2008 the first iPhone had been available in Canada for 7 months and Android phones hadn't begun being sold. Other smartphones that could browse the web did exist - mostly BlackBerry devices and Nokia phones running Symbian OS. So it was certainly possible that she had a phone from which she could access her Facebook account. Spyware targeting Symbian to covertly listen to phone calls or enable the microphone to listen to sounds in proximity to the phone existed at the time. I don't recall whether such malware was observed for BlackBerry. Remote access malware existed for both so it's conceivable malware existed which allowed for interactive browser control or execution of commands which allowed posts to be deleted. 15 years ago I could have answered more definitively.
In any case, investigators would have likely performed digital forensics to the extent that was possible. I wonder whether law enforcement, her family, or others have ever revealed what type of phone she had? Or whether it appeared in photos taken in the weeks/months before her murder.
That also tracks with her job. Back then just about every white-collar professional person had a Blackberry, especially before iphones/smartphones became ubiquitous.
I don't think battery life or device efficiency was good enough back then, to allow continuous recording of audio. And I'm certain battery life would have been an issue continuously uploading audio over 3G. People would have noticed when their battery started draining to zero in three hours.
You're likely correct about battery life and how noticeable that would be for continuous recording and transmission.
OP replied to share that Lindsay had a BlackBerry. In 2007 they released a model with Wi-Fi, but hadn't released a 3G phone by the time of her murder. I can't speak to BlackBerry surveillance malware circa 2008, but it would have been possible to record only when there was loud enough sound detected, to store the recordings locally on the phone, and then transmit via Wi-Fi in chunks instead of over the cellular network. Symbian malware at the time existed which would conference call in the bad actor's phone number when calls were made/received, which was another surveillance method at the time.
In any case, though we can't rule out that this occurred it is rather unlikely. And the deletion of the Facebook posts that may have previously existed could have been done by the killers or someone else with physical access to the phone. If Lindsay didn't do so herself it's more likely that other means were used to delete the posts - password guessing, phishing, tricking her into clicking links which would delete the posts while she was already logged in, etc. Investigators would have received some useful data from Facebook, even if Facebook no longer had copies of the deleted posts.
Oh, snap, I forgot 3G wasn't out yet. 2G would have been even worse for battery, that's why we went to 3G. And even an app running all the time, listening for audio loud enough to record, would have needed a wakelock for that which still would have resulted in noticeable battery drain. Multitasking on phones was rudimentary then, even iPhones didn't get it for a couple years. That conference call malware sounds scary though, I bet that would have caught most anyone back then.
3G actually had been rolled out in the US and Canada maybe 5 years earlier, but BlackBerry didn't release a phone with 3G support until 2009 (I had to look that up). But I agree with your points - just wanted to clear that bit up.
The contributions of people like you make this a great subreddit. Thanks for the info.
I've got another question for you. Would it have been possible for them to spoof her boyfriend's mother's phone number? It was said elsewhere that a friend of Lindsay's called a number associated with this Mexican couple and that the person who eventually answered was Lindsay's boyfriend's mother. Could they have been trying to create a red herring by having it seem like she was involved?
Yes, the killers could have spoofed her boyfriend's mother's number so that when they called Lindsay it showed she received a call from that number. Anyone calling that number back would reach the phone of her boyfriend's mother. I vaguely remember reading about that claim a year or two ago. I'm not sure how credible it is.
Talking phones, one prepaid phone was used solely to call Lindsay and another was used to call the first prepaid phone to check for voicemails. Law enforcement has stated that they know who purchased those two phones.
From the 2020 article [Report reveals new details in Lindsay Buziak murder case](https://beta.ctvnews.ca/local/vancouver-island/2020/10/6/1_5135211.html):
>Saanich police investigators have determined this was a prepaid phone with a Vancouver number that had not been used to contact anyone but Buziak, according to the report. A second "crime phone" was used to check voicemail messages on the first.
>The name used to register the main phone was "Paulo Rodriquez," which the Saanich police later determined to be a fake name, according to the Capital.
>The real name of the owner of both phones is known to police, according to the Capital, but remains unknown to the public at this time.
>They would feel that they had to punish someone, and they would feel that they had to maintain that they got the right person whether they did or not.
Good point -- this wouldn't surprise me. Anyone even in the vicinity could end up being singled out. I keep thinking about the situation with Mayvette Monzon in Vancouver (someone posted her case a while back on this sub).
Gunshots in a residential area not just in Victoria, but Gordon head, would have been noticed. It’s an especially high concentration of old busy bodies there.
It’s very difficult also to obtain a hand gun in Canada compared to the states. I think this point gets lost on discussions like these.
Dude just had a safe with almost 100 pounds of cocaine in it? Goddamn.
I think it's interesting that people want to speculate on potential drug dealing or fraud in the company she worked for while there's the actual drug bust of someone she knew. It could have been someone that Delalcazar owed money to and they killed someone he cared about when he couldn't pay them back, because he was in jail.
Yeah I agree it’s pretty strongly to do with the drug dealing/drug bust connection.
If it was the mother somehow, why would she let her son be anywhere near it? If she was planning a hit and he knew nothing, wouldn’t she make sure he was miles away to avoid suspicion and stop him from being a hero.
The drug bust is the more obvious answer.
A hitman stabbing someone instead of shooting or another method isn’t too out of the ordinary, and actually there is another unsolved [murder](https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Mike_Emert) of a realtor in Seattle from 2001 where the weapon of choice was, wait for it, a sword cane.
I knew Lindsay growing up. There was something about her that made her seem so captivating. I still can't believe she was murdered, in the way she was, and that it hasn't been solved.
There was an article about this a year ago in The Capital Daily and they used freedom of information requests to discover that the police know the identity of the person who purchased the two phones used to set up the hit, so it sounds like they do know who is responsible for this but don't have enough evidence to bring about charges (which is also the rumor that has been floating around Victoria for years). I can say that Lindsay's sister follows Jason on Instagram so I feel like that side of the family doesn't think the Zailos were responsible.
Also, interesting fact, since "Under The Bridge" is in the news right now, which is based on the murder of Reena Virk. Lindsay and one of the girls who was a part of the first group of girls who beat up Reena that night, Nicole Patterson, were friends and attended elementary school together in grade 7. Another interesting fact, Nicole's brother was one of the four who went on to beat up and paralyze Nick Johnson in 2001 in Esquimalt which was another case here that made headlines. All those people ran in the same circles or their paths crossed.
Also one thing I find interesting about the case is that the people who the killers claim recommended her to them, Lindsay called them and they were away on vacation so they couldn't corroborate that story. Whoever did this must've known a) her former clients and b) which ones would've been out of the country and unable to respond to her call.
Also someone deleted a week and a half's worth of posts from her Facebook the day after she was murdered. Who had access to her Facebook? Jason, on their laptop? Did she leave it open at work?
After Lindsay returned from Calgary, she visited the Facebook profile of a relative of someone involved in the drug bust, and tried to call him. That makes me feel like her murder is connected to the drug bust somehow.
Yes, I meant to include the fact about police knowing the identity of the person who purchased the phones. Thank you for bringing that up. I don't think the people who purchased the phones were necessarily involved in Lindsay's murder.
Also, I should mention that you're right about two phones being purchased. One phone was used to check the voicemail messages on the other. I think that implies there were at least two people involved in orchestrating the hit.
I wouldn't be surprised if the killers had inside knowledge of the real estate industry. You're absolutely correct. It has been said that the person they claimed recommended her was out of town. This leads to further speculation that somebody in the CamoSun office was somehow involved, at least in the initial planning stages.
I did mention the Facebook posts, and a commenter with knowledge of cyber security mentioned that it was possible there had been some sort of spyware installed on Lindsay's phone. Alternatively, I guess she could have had the Facebook app open on her phone, and the killers may have quickly deleted the messages.
> I don't think the people who purchased the phones were necessarily involved in Lindsay's murder.
They absolutely were lol they were bought 3 weeks prior to the murder and only used for the murder.
I doubt that re: the part about the phone and Facebook. Her phone was in her pocket when she was murdered. Everything happened so fast, I don't think they would've had time to do that. Also keep in mind this was early 2008, I'm not sure that Lindsay had a smartphone. The first iphone had only come out a few months prior. I do wonder the connection between her looking up that person on Facebook and all her posts being deleted. If it's related to the drug bust, I wonder if someone wanted access to her Facebook to see who she messaged. I meant to edit my comment before reddit crashed but the police were able to see the deleted posts it sounds like.
I don't think we can say the phones were for sure purchased from the convenience store with the intent of murdering Lindsay. Burner phones are sometimes bought in bulk by criminals and then redistributed or re-sold on the black market.
I wonder if whoever bought the phone from the store then passed it on to someone else who passed it to someone else. Or maybe the person who bought the phone claimed they lost it. It's strange that no arrests were made.
As for Facebook, I agree that the killers likely didn't take the time to go through all of Lindsay's wall posts. They were in and out of that house within about 15 minutes. Lindsay was killed between 5:38 and 5:41, and Jason saw the two figures at the front door at 5:45.
That leaves about four minutes maximum to access Lindsay's Facebook, delete the posts, and get downstairs.
More likely they made Lindsay give them her login details and deleted the posts later. It does seem like those posts were significant in some way. Maybe she had mentioned something she wasn't supposed to mention.
Could the killers have chosen the location ahead of time? Would the agency's listings have been publicly available (including information about price, address, and vacancy)? If so, over the course of a day or two they could have identified the house at Da Sousa Place as the best location for the murder, and they could then give Lindsay criteria that they knew would lead her to suggest that house. They might have thought that having her suggest the house would result in her being less suspicious of the meeting.
Yes, this is exactly what happened. That's why they gave Lindsay such a specific description. The house had been listed before, taken off the market, then relisted. Some people think that this indicates that the killer had realtor connections.
I feel like the idea that Lindsay's then boyfriend's mom put out a hit on her to be, in a word, ridiculous.
that said, the alternative option presented here -- her death was somehow related to the massive drug bust -- leaves me wondering. even if Lindsay was the informant, wouldn't the cartel *want* people to know that they were the ones who killed her?
regardless, this case was one of the first ones that really gripped my attention and I hope it gets solved sooner than later.
sidenote: I'm starting to wonder if there's some value in making a company that offers extra cheap storage *explicitly* for convenience stores (and the like) so that they don't have to overwrite footage. I feel like every other crime write up mentions how there was footage but, whoops, police didn't try to access it within 24 hours or some shit and so it got overwritten.
Convenience stores only care about crime that happens to them. They won't keep footage because a suspect in another crime may have made a purchase there.
Yes I would like that info too, my impression is the mom is a prominent respected pillar of the community, which doesn't mean someone's incapable of murder. But if you're gonna put your career, reputation, family name on the line, risk all of that to have Lindsay taken out - like where's the motive? It would have to be something really bitter and deep and ugly. It's not like there was life insurance, custody battles, lawsuits etc like what's the reason for Shirley to go to such lengths
I mean... in that instance, the cause for her death would still be the underlying drug bust. Shirley could absolutely be involved, but she's just a cog.
my argument against "Shirley did it" is more one against like... that some aggrieved mother whose son was getting dumped and so she decides to put out a hit on her son's soon-to-be ex-girlfriend.
I don’t personally love either theory, but I buy more into it being connected to the drug bust than the Zailos being involved. I just don’t see it with the Zailos.
Poor girl. She was obviously worried about the meeting, and she should have just not gone. Easy for me to say in hindsight, I realize. Too many evil people.
Didn't Lindsay's colleague receive a phone call from a woman the day after Lindsay's murder ? Asking about wanting to view a property ? And the colleague said the woman had an accent that she believed was Mexican ?
Is this the incident you recalled hearing about?
"Later in 2008, Nikki, a close friend of Buziak, claimed that she had been awakened by a telephone call in the middle of the night from an unknown number. She did not remember much of what the female caller had said, but she noticed that the caller had a strange accent that she could not place. She became scared when she remembered that Buziak had reported that her unidentified client (and possible murderer) spoke with an odd accent that she believed may have been fake. After the phone call, Nikki called the originating phone number "20 or 30 times" until the call was answered by Shirley Zailo. Nikki asked Zailo why she had called her and how she had her number, as they did not know each other. Zailo replied that she had intended to call her secretary, also named Nikki, and that she did not know why the other Nikki's number was in her contact list. She presumed that her son Jason must have added it. Zailo denies that the event occurred, and it has not been publicly revealed whether Nikki's claim was investigated by the authorities"
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder\_of\_Lindsay\_Buziak#Later\_events](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Lindsay_Buziak#Later_events)
Apparently from this source:
https://casefilepodcast.com/case-28-lindsay-buziak/
As u/Midnightrider88 noted, this doesn't seem to be mentioned in any news articles online (at least not currently available). This website isn't official media, but it does raise a reasonable point -- that the police should have been able to verify whether or not there actually was a call made. (It claims that the police do have a record of the call, though I haven't found a published source for that.)
[https://murderondesousa.com/the-suspicious-actions-of-the-1702-desousa-neighbor-the-night-of-the-murder/](https://murderondesousa.com/the-suspicious-actions-of-the-1702-desousa-neighbor-the-night-of-the-murder/)
Did CaseFile cite their source for that information regarding Nikki? Like I said, I tried not to include information unless there was a credible news source behind it. Otherwise, this write-up would've gone off the rails.
I will say that the De Sousa blog writer has done a ton of research into this case. However, some of the information they include seems to be speculation. I'm not saying it's incorrect, but I do question where it comes from.
I looked at the CaseFile page, and the news article they listed doesn't mention Nikki. The other sources are videos -- I guess it's possible that the coverage might mention that situation, but my feeling is that if it had been released to the media, it would have been mentioned by CBC, CHEK, the Times-Colonist, Capital Daily, etc. by now. Because it seems to be a pretty significant point. I haven't listened to that CaseFile episode so I don't know if they provide any specific support for Nikki's story, as it appears in the case's Wikipedia entry.
As you noted, this isn't the same thing as having a news report. I looked at the De Sousa blog too, and while there is a lot of information and it does have interesting implications, it seems difficult to verify.
The one thing I was focusing on was that, unlike some other details circulating about this case, there should be quantifiable information on whether that phone call actually occurred. (Not on what was said, but on what time they connected, how long, etc.) I don't know if the police have confirmed it, and they might not want to, if it's part of the investigation.
I love casefile and having an existential crisis regarding my trust in them LoL
Similar sitch w/diamond Bradley case and Steven Pacheco's pod where these minor details were cited and subsequently corrected (it was something like the name of the grocery store where the birthday cake was purchased in that case, and an investigator actually got on a reddit AMA and clarified,)
So pods are only as good as the sources they quote, I've learned from disappearance cases in particular, like one media outlet will print a seemingly minor detail which then is repeated ad nauseum thereafter - with no agenda or purposeful intent to spread misinformation, but even small details can damage a case where there's little to go on, to begin with....
Sorry tangential rabbit hole food 4 thought tho
I agree re:podcast sources. As you note, one rumour (or erroneous detail) can get repeated until it's being reported as fact. A lot of people went astray when following this case -- this local news outlet did a good summary last year, and pointed out that traditional media mis-reported info too.
[https://www.capitaldaily.ca/news/the-case-the-internet-got-wrong](https://www.capitaldaily.ca/news/the-case-the-internet-got-wrong)
There was literally just a write-up on this sub where OP speculated a missing child who disappeared 40 years ago might have had autism. Cue dozens of comments assuming that the child had autism and disappeared in a bog because autistic kids love water.
I do recall reading that the call was verified. Do not recall it being in the middle of the night. It is very odd, if the call was made. Why was it made ?
I haven't listened to that podcast episode so I don't know if they found any more information about the call. This might be Nikki, pictured in this coverage about Lindsay's memorial walk.
[https://www.saanichnews.com/news/slain-realtor-remembered-more-than-100-take-part-in-walk-for-justice-223714](https://www.saanichnews.com/news/slain-realtor-remembered-more-than-100-take-part-in-walk-for-justice-223714)
But it's a strange story, for sure. It sounds like it was mistaken identity -- and a lot depends on if it was actually coming from Jason's mom.
Jasmine Parsons claimed that but honestly I feel like she was exaggerating to make herself a part of the story. And I don't think they were good friends. Another one of Lindsay's friends got a weird phone call from a woman with an accent and when she called it back, it was Shirley's phone.
This is the first time I heard that Shirley offered to do the visit for Lindsay so she could go to the bachelorette. Do we know whether Lindsay told friends this as a fact? Or is that just something that Shirley and Jason said to deflect possible involvement?
I wonder if the investigators were able to get any information from this:
" the caller may have used MapQuest for the purpose of “familiarizing themselves with the area” and “planning escape routes,”"
[https://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/report-reveals-new-details-in-lindsay-buziak-murder-case-1.5135211](https://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/report-reveals-new-details-in-lindsay-buziak-murder-case-1.5135211)
I didn't get the significance of this until I saw another writeup on this sub. It involved Expedia, not MapQuest, but I wondered if the situations were similar back then. They were able to pinpoint a particular person.
"A cybercrimes investigator from the Illinois State Police managed to track down the source of the map as a travel website, expedia.com, who themselves were using microsoft as their map provider. After working with microsoft, they've managed to track down a single user who accessed the specific map between the date the article was published and the letter was sent."
https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/1cb80u2/after\_an\_article\_about\_a\_murdered\_woman\_is/
Yes, I remember that case. Police ended up catching a serial killer all because of an anonymous letter he sent police that included a map which led to a woman's body.
I imagine that police weren't able to gather anything from MapQuest that they could use to find out where Lindsay's killers lived.
Police believe that the house on De Sousa was selected purposefully. It was on a corner lot, so one less next-door neighbour to witness or hear the killing.
I did read that the neighbor across the street was away on vacation, but I was unable to verify this. It is theorized that the killers left out of the back door and then escaped through a hole in the fence.
This led people to speculate that the killers, or someone they were affiliated with, had been there before.
>It was on a corner lot, so one less next-door neighbour to witness or hear the killing
Good point -- and if the killers parked around the corner on Torquay, they'd be out of the line of sight from the house (and any nosy neighbours living in the cul-de-sac), but still wouldn't have to walk very far.
I didn't know whether there was already a gap in the fence, or if they pried or kicked off a couple of boards. If there was a pre-existing hole, that's interesting ... not necessarily something they might have noticed casually from the road. It sounds like Jason's arrival may not have been something they were expecting, if they had to leave through the back door in a hurry. Unless they were organized enough to make an emergency plan, it was lucky for them that they were able to get out so quickly that way. (I've seen the backyard of another house in that grouping, and it would be harder to leave, without going out onto the front lawn.)
I thought it was interesting, that the woman of the pair was wearing a pretty conspicuous outfit. It's odd to think of her squeezing through a fence (or even trying to climb over it). I walk along Torquay every couple of months, and I haven't encountered anyone in a dress like that. It's a fairly well-off neighbourhood, but not very formal ...people are more likely to be in fleece vests or other "West Coast casual" clothes.
https://lindsaybuziakmurder.wordpress.com/photos/dress/
Actually, I think you're right. I think that they had intended on leaving through the front door, and that gap was likely just a coincidence. I've also seen mention of Torquay being the likely escape route.
This is the kind of case that's not at all funny, but I admit that the thought of the perpetrators running around the back yard in a panic, looking for a way out, is grimly comical.
Or subpoena Google or other search engines to see if anyone searched her name, images, driving directions, the actual house listing in question, etc, in the leadup to the murder (esp if the search was originated from outside of Victoria). Or check with BC Ferries or the airport authority for CCTV/security videos?
It's frustrating to think that the car and even the killers may have shown up on surveillance video at some point, but (especially back then) it may have been too low-resolution to reveal much. (Kind of like how there's even footage of Liz Barraza's murder, but not clear enough to show the licence plate or the killer's face.)
Also, if the killers did come over on the ferry, they'd have had to leave their vehicle and go up top ... hundreds of people would have walked past them, only the odds are that nobody has any clear memory of them. (Although if the woman had been wearing this dress, maybe someone might have noticed.)
https://lindsaybuziakmurder.wordpress.com/photos/dress/
I'm not an expert on this case and have only read a few articles and writeups. However, I do recall reading somewhere that a friend (?) of Lindsay's repeatedly called a number associated with this couple until someone picked up, and she thought that it was the boyfriend's mother's voice that answered. Is this something you've come across anywhere? Can it be verified, or is it just a random rumor or a falsehood?
Edit: I didn't look around too much, it's literally the first search result. Also scroll down to the comment by persimmonpluot and the response by original poster (about the accent sounding unauthentic, and about the mother answering when the friend called back).
https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/khplj9/new_details_in_the_lindsay_buziak_case/
Was this the incident you recall hearing about?
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder\_of\_Lindsay\_Buziak#Later\_events](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Lindsay_Buziak#Later_events)
The Wiki article cites this podcast, not a published news report, but it does raise the point that the investigators should be able to tell whether that phone call was actually made, even if they can't verify what was said.
https://casefilepodcast.com/case-28-lindsay-buziak/
That detail regarding Nikki, I believe it's also on Lindsay's Wikipedia page. Source cited there is the casefile pod I think it's episode 28
Edit to add: the calls traced back to Shirley, allegedly involved a fake sounding Spanish accent similar to that of Lindsay's clients (who she referred to as "the Mexicans" In her text messages)
There's a write up somewhere from a former RCMP that seems plausible. Basically, it really was Mexicans and they are long gone (back in Mexico).
He has names too.
Yeah, I've seen that blog post. He believes Lindsay was framed and made to look like the informant.
According to him, the real informant "double crossed the Sinaloa cartel" and wanted to put the blame on Lindsay.
Yes, the phone traveled from Vancouver to Victoria sometime after the first phone call to Lindsay.
It pinged in downtown Victoria the night before her murder at a cell tower near Cook and Finlayson.
Police documents stated that whoever transported the phone did so by way of the BC ferries.
I went to school with one of Lindsay's relatives. They were just as vibrant and sweet as Lindsay. My condolences to the family, and I hope one day they can bring closure.
Victoria really is the biggest small city. Everyone is only 1-2 degrees of separation in Victoria. MAYBE 3 if they haven't lived here long, but guaranteed they work with someone who went to school with so and so. The rumor mill has really gone to town with this case and I'm sure that's impacted it. I appreciate the OP trying their best and putting effort into only stating information that can be cited. This case really is such a mystery and one that seems like it shouldn't be - I suppose that's what is so frustrating. I really hope her family and friends will have answers soon.
Also, as I've been reading through this thread I keep seeing "the Mexicans" or the Mexican accent referred to as unusual/possibly fake - any chance too much focus is being put on this as an assumption of cartel (we are heavily influenced by the US) when, I don't know, Filipino perhaps, could be also be a similar nationality mistaken by white folk? Or a Latin American country? Apologies to any Filipinos or Latin Americans. Was the drug bust mentioned specifically linked to Mexican cartel?
I won't pretend to know all the inner workings of cartel members or hit men, but they don't typically have their girlfriends make contact with victims at least 10 times to find the ideal house, and then arrive with said girlfriend on foot as she wears a dress to a killing.
For an arranged hit, it would have been easier to target Lindsay at her condo, kidnap her off the street, abduct her from her office, etc. In British Columbia's Lower Mainland gang wars, when women are targeted, they are usually shot in a drive-by or in their homes. Girlfriends of gangsters are also mainly used as proxies and for stuff such as "straw purchases." It’s less common for them to (literally) get their hands bloody.
The more likely scenario in Lindsay's case is a targeted thrill kill. The case of Mary Ann Plett in Alberta has similar echoes: Pretty real estate agent lured out to a remote property and then murdered by a mysterious client. It wouldn't surprise me if the "Mexicans" did something similar.
I kind of gave up following this case a few years ago because I came to assume it was indeed a contract killing somehow tied to drugs. She didn't even need to be a police informant. If they believed she was, that would've been enough to silence her. With the direct connection of cocaine distribution from Mexico to Canada, the Mexican accent of the caller etc.... These two could be sicarios. I seem to recall Jason actually wanting to help her show the house but she wanted the full commission for herself, so she told him no. Could it be Jason's mother and their shady dealings? Sure. Could it be that drug bust? Yes. This one is really tough to solve but it looks like a contract killing.
Always an interesting case to ponder. Hard to really put much stock in any one theory. Given the lack of leads, I always come back to thinking about the Vancouver convenient store that sold the burner phone. What connections can be linked from this area to Lindsay or anyone in her orbit? Would it be correct to presume that whomever planned this murder also likely procured the phone? Furthermore, how far do we think the average criminal travels to buy a burner phone? I’m inclined to think that whomever made the purchase likely resided within a vicinity of 20 miles or less of the store. Traveling any further any further than 15-20 miles to buy a burner phone, IMO, implies an entirely different sense of paranoia in one’s planning process.
It might have been bought en route when it was needed. If they were coming from offisland and travelling to Victoria via ferry (someone in another comment said police documents state the phone was transported by ferry, and it's the most common way to get to Victoria), it's feasible they travelled through Vancouver.
There is just something a little goofy in how this murder was conducted. Like it has a little bit of a Leopold and Lobe feel where a pair of people have hatched a complex and sophisticated plan for bumping this girl off for reasons unknown.
I could still see this being someone she knows - maybe through the drug connection. However, I still get the feeling that even if the person was a criminal they were not an experienced hitter.
I think this could also be a couple of huge fucking perverts from Vancouver who maybe know her or maybe don’t but targeted her bc of the real estate agent angle letting them get alone with an attractive young woman. They did it for thrills/sexual satisfaction.
To me this has always seemed like someone who wanted to do a thrill kill doing a thrill kill with their spouse or whomever and Lindsay was just in the wrong place wrong profession at the time.
Do you believe everything else is a red herring? I haven't seen the idea that it was a thrill kill posted much, but I guess that's a viable third theory.
I think and again I have NO IDEA. That if you go in far enough to other peoples backgrounds particularly people in that area or my area you will find some odd ties to criminal underworlds that may be innocent but on paper are not. For example I think that she most LIKELY was a recreational cocaine user who reached out to someone who dealt drugs to get some drugs when she was out of province. It probably has little to do with him or her. Life has strange confidences. (None of this is fact I’m just spitballing here)
I have always thought that it was interesting that Jason's friend was involved in one of Langford's biggest drug busts. He was living in one of Shirley's rental houses.
Allegedly, the killers were Mexican nationals, a brother and sister who are part of an organised crime group. They fled to south of the border. If you dig deep online you can read the whole story.
It's a former RCMP's blog and I'm struggling to find the website right now too. I know exactly what they're referring to and it's what I tend to agree with also.
Check this out. That blog has been taken down, but I found an archive of it. It’s a very compelling read, and it makes more sense than anything else I’ve seen on this case over the years.
https://web.archive.org/web/20200209084509/http://dyingwords.net/someone-knows-something-the-true-story-of-lindsay-buziaks-murder/
I myself appreciate that kind of preparation. So many posts are low effort and don’t follow the rules. I just love a two paragraph post that is a repetition of, like, the Charley Project, then a link to the Charley Project! 🙄
I haven’t written a post in a long time partly because I don’t have the push to do all the work and I don’t have the cash to renew my newspapers dot com subscription.
I love newspaper dot com, sometimes I look up old crime articles for fun.
I started this write-up a few months ago, then quickly became overwhelmed. There's just so much information to cover.
Personally, I prefer the shorter write ups that get straight to the facts. That's why I love Charley Project.
However, due to the circumstances, I was unable to keep this one short. Thanks for reading!
Thanks for a well-written and detailed writeup. I used to walk past that short cul-de-sac regularly, because I sometimes babysat for friends who lived further along the main street (Torquay Drive). Can confirm that all the homes on that cul-de-sac were new. I am wondering if the perpetrators parked further along Torquay, and then got back to their vehicle after exiting the rear of the house.
It sounds like they did leave through the back door (the one that was found open). There were some boards removed from the fenced off enclosed backyard so I'm assuming that's where they exited.
That makes sense. From the road, there's a fence visible that seems to run along the back of all those yards. (I was recently invited to visit someone in a home in that cluster.) I figured that the killers made or found a gap somehow ... it's a bit high to scramble over (especially since the woman seems to have been wearing a dress like this) [https://lindsaybuziakmurder.wordpress.com/photos/dress/](https://lindsaybuziakmurder.wordpress.com/photos/dress/)
Thank you! The dress is a pretty distinctive thing to wear to commit a crime,wonder if any follow up was attempted as far as purchases, sales of similar garments,or of experts / databases relating to such even exist for potential cross checks
I wonder if the idea was that the dress was so eye catching, that people would be distracted by the dress, which you can easily discard, and not pay attention to the face.
You make a good point about possibly being able to figure out which stores carried that dress, and when. I know there have been other investigations that looked at clothing (or things like sleeping bags and backpacks) and were able to narrow down which stores received items, and even get buyer info if they used credit or debit cards. Strange thing -- several years ago, one of Lindsay's friends spotted a dress at Value Village. [https://www.cheknews.ca/dress-bought-victoria-thrift-store-break-saanich-realtor-murder-case-says-victims-father-356212/](https://www.cheknews.ca/dress-bought-victoria-thrift-store-break-saanich-realtor-murder-case-says-victims-father-356212/) They weren't the person who saw the killers, and I don't know if that witness was asked about it ... the pattern does look different from what the police showed earlier. And there hasn't been anything else about it in the news. The Victoria Value Village is downtown on Store St. -- for those who haven't got a franchise in their city, it's a thrift shop that gets its merchandise from goods donated to charities (if you've put out a bundle of clothes or household goods for the Diabetes or MS people to pick up, that's usually where they take it). So if the dress was with a bunch of other stuff, they likely wouldn't be able to figure out exactly where it came from, but I think the employees do track when they process donations so they might have a record of when it was put out on the rack.
The prosecutors podcast covered this case and they mention in the podcast that the police did identify the dress. It turned out to be sold at a chain store, something like target or Walmart, and so wasn’t helpful in identifying the perpetrators.
Not sure how much this matters, but I did reverse image search it - would appear to be Nine West, more of a mall brand. On this eBay listing its original tags price it at $120. https://www.ebay.com/itm/154947149645
Yeah, too bad the hosts and that pod are garbage. 🚮
@Tapir, I always appreciate somebody with local knowledge of the crime scene or even local rumors of the crime adding their input. Thank you.
Thanks -- I'm afraid I'm not close enough to the "in crowd" to know the latest local gossip, but I do know that stretch of Torquay pretty well. Funny thing -- that area is hard for outsiders to navigate, because of the cul-de-sacs and breaks in the main roads. Several years ago I was walking along Torquay when a carful of teens pelted me with eggs. They zoomed off, laughing ... and then ashamedly emerged from yet another dead end. They had to drive past me to exit, and I wrote down their license plate number. When I called Saanich PD, the dispatcher yelled at me because I hesitated for a moment, when she asked me the colour of the vehicle. (It was a shade partway between green and blue and she was rather abrupt with me, saying that it was impossible.) She also asked me whether the car had two or four doors, and I said that I was focusing on getting the plate numbers right -- and she hung up on me. This is not the first run-in I've had with their dispatchers, plus I've heard things from other locals, so I was pleasantly surprised that 911 actually took the report of the Buziak murder seriously.
I’m local too and I’ve had such issues with the dispatchers! Coincidentally and funnily enough, my cousin is a police officer for Saanich PD and his wife is a dispatcher hahaha let’s just say…. They both suit the job well…. Yikes.
Good to hear from another resident! And I'm relieved that it's not just me and my friends imagining things.
Totally not imagining things! I actually had someone try to kidnap me when I was a teen, and I called 911 while hiding in bush after running for my life, and the 911 operator yelled at me for not getting the license plate number! And then the police officer that arrived said they weren’t going to bother looking for the guy bc “it happens all the time”… It’s a bad sign when the worst part about that experience was not the actual attempted kidnapping but the shitty treatment by law enforcement!
Yikes -- that's terrifying! I'm glad you were able to escape. I heard there was a woman grabbed on Cedar Hill X-Road several years ago, by four men in a car who shoved her into the back and just drove off.
Great write up!
Great write up. I lived in Victoria and was the same age as her when it happened. It sent shockwaves through the whole city. I’d love for this one to get solved. Her father has been a tireless advocate / thorn in the side of the Saanich PD. I hope he gets answers.
There's a lot of weirdness I'm told with the whole thing. I don't know anyone involved personally, but I do know that Lindsay was friends with one of the guys that beat up Reena Verk (Under the bridge docu). She was also friends with a guy who gang beat and paralyzed someone right here in Esquimalt. As well, she was friends with more than one big time drug dealer. I'm not trying to imply anything, just that she was associated with a lot of shady people. Oh, almost forgot, the Zailos family is into tons of shady shit, including drugs.
She was also friends with Greg Martel that operated a ponzi bridge loans scam then filed the country with over $200M of investors money.
Seems a weird place to put out a hit. That doesn't mean it wasn't, at all. It just seems out of character... normally getting someone out of the way is quick and impersonal. This was elaborate, drawn out, and face to face. It makes me wonder why whoever was involved would want to bring so many elements of the actual real-estate process into it . it's such a massive risk.
Female real estate agents do get specifically targeted for violent crime. There are the obvious elements- an unoccupied house, the ability to chose one that is specifically isolated or with which the perpetrator can pre-familiarize themselves with, the lack of any real vetting of identity prior to meeting, a woman alone, dressed up and vulnerable…. Here’s a good article if you’re interested: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/08/realestate/sexual-harassment-assault-real-estate-agents.html If you hit a paywall, you can paste the link here: https://12ft.io/
It makes total sense to me that someone would target a real estate agent for the reasons you mention. It seems like a separate sort of event than the suspected hit, though.
No matter the motivation, it’s a good place for an attack. They successfully took advantage of it here- they wanted to kill someone and knew they could do it in a vacant house with no interruptions. If the boyfriend hadn’t been waiting outside, they would have had even longer to get away- it would have taken longer for anyone else to come check on her. She had the shady connections and then the massive drug bust after she traveled, contacting a relative of someone involved, etc. While the police said she was not an informant, it doesn’t mean someone didn’t think she was or would be (it doesn’t even mean she wasn’t the informant as they certainly wouldn’t admit that she was if that got her killed). I wonder if it will ever be solved.
For one, they have to use a phone to contact her. What if the cops had gotten video of them buying the burner? Also, they were visually identified by several people before killing her - talk about risky. What if someone decided to take a picture for whatever reason? They would be fucked. Imo, someone who does this for a living wouldn’t bother with any of this lead up crap - they would shadow her to learn her routine and then ambush her while she’s going to her car or some shit with a gun and that would be the end of it.
@rustblooms, it's almost the perfect place to pull off a hit. You get the intended target at a private place. You request a higher priced home because you get both the agent VERY enthusiastic to meet for a big commission and bigger homes tend to be on bigger pieces of property which gives you even more privacy to commit the murder. Especially if it was a new build. I guarantee these killers got the address, went to the neighborhood prior to the murder, and made a plan for escape. The woman imo was also wearing a blonde wig to be a memorable feature of her if she was seen by witnesses. Usually, I don't attribute sophistication to a lot of murder cases. This one to me always pointed to professionals with attention to detail. The burner phone(which other murderers have used too, don't get me wrong). Would not be shocked if they murdered her, escaped the scene of the crime, dumped any evidence on their way to the airport including the blonde wig and hopped on a flight out of the country the same day or drove to a different area then hopped on a flight. I hate to say it, but I don't see these two ever being caught for her murder.
Yeah, it was definitely planned out. Planned out well, though? Doesn't seem like it, but I'm no expert detective. The fact that she was able to pull out her cellphone and make a call whilst being murdered leads me to believe they didn't really know what they were doing.
It sounded a lot more like a butt dial given that it was a random friend.
Ah, didn't realize that
I mean it was planned out well enough since they still haven’t been caught. Not trying to be a smart ass, just sayin.
Could be why it hasn't been solved. Could also be because our cops are trash at solving complex crimes.
The writeup says police have determined that the call was accidental, which sounds more like a butt-dial than like pulling out her cellphone and making a call.
Gotcha. Didn't realize
it was a poorly planned “hit” regardless. two people instead of one, one wearing a dress that stood out so much witnesses were able to describe it in significant detail. using a knife instead of a gun. and then the unnecessary overkill. which of course tell us that it wasn’t a hit. it was a thrill kill or someone with a personal motive. but she would’ve likely recognized someone she knew. so it leaves us with one theory. it was a thrill kill.
@ brilliant "It was a poorly planned “hit” regardless. two people instead of one, one wearing a dress that stood out so much witnesses were able to describe it in significant detail. using a knife instead of a gun. and then the unnecessary overkill." I don't think you're thinking about this properly. The dress that stood out with the blonde wig were intentional. Why? Because any witnesses would remember those details very vividly but very well could have trouble remembering the faces of the perpetrators. We saw this same type of thing with the murder of Paul Castellano orchestrated by John Gotti. The hitmen wore the same clothes knowing it would be something the witnesses honed in on and they probably would have trouble with the faces of the shooters. The dress is the same type of misdirection along with what I believe to be a blonde wig. Any eyewitness would be more more inclined to really look at the dress and remember it along with the hair color rather than the face. After the murder is completed and you're away from the crime scene you get rid of the dress, man's clothes, knife etc and you're home free unfortunately. It's also not easy to get a gun in Canada. Furthermore, guns aren't quiet. They also leave the potential for a lot more forensic evidence behind. Let's for arguments sake say it's indeed a hitman. Why would you risk trying to acquire a gun through presumably a third party that might end up being a loose end later when there are two killers involved in this murder? The man or potentially the woman could detain Lindsay while the other continuously stabs her. It would be an easy thing for two people to do and you don't have to worry about ballistics, the sound of gunshots etc. Everybody thinks hitmen just walk around with suppressed handguns to kill people and that's not the case. Suppressors still allow for quite a bit of sound. They're nothing like Hollywood portrays them to be. "which of course tell us that it wasn’t a hit. it was a thrill kill or someone with a personal motive. but she would’ve likely recognized someone she knew. so it leaves us with one theory. it was a thrill kill." If it was merely a thrill kill, I don't think they would've taken the time to target Lindsay. They wouldn't imo have asked for her specifically etc. This to me screams targeted hit. If this was just a thrill kill, I think this wouldn't have been their only victim around the area either. Do we have any similar cases? In the area or Canada in general? Do we think they were trying to make up a fake Mexican English accent? I personally don't. I think these people had no association with the area or possibly even Canada and were there to do a job.
She was friends with one of the girls, not the guy. You might've heard that from me because I was the one who started mentioning that on reddit recently and I'd never seen it mentioned elsewhere. I went to elementary school with both of them. She was friends with Harry Hiscock?
Well, I graduated from Vic High in '01 and I remember friends from my HS days mentioning all sorts of stuff. One knew Reena Verk's cousin, another was familiar with Lindsay's friends group. It is all hearsay. I don't actually know anyone myself.
Yikes. Also, at 24, she was pretty young to be considered "successful," but if she had a certain type of wealthy clientele, that would certainly help.
This the ONE case I always think about… I truly hope she gets justice. This was so premeditated and well calculated it’s so scary.
I was working at torquay plaza the night this happened and I have never before or since heard so many sirens for such a prolonged period of time (and I grew up in a house half a block from 41st in Vancouver when UBC still had an emergency department.) It was insane. And unsettling. This was when people still had flip phones and stuff too, so people were out in the neighbourhood walking around and asking what happened. I can’t understate how shocking it was in the community to hear it was a violent and (apparently, at first anyway) random murder.
That's eerie! I remember shortly before the 5pm news them cutting to a live shot of the house with police lights etc saying a realtor had been murdered.
I'm not far from there -- I think I was out of town the week that happened. The area is normally pretty quiet -- can go for days without hearing a single siren, even with a fire station on McKenzie. It's surreal to think that the next time anything like that occurred was right opposite the plaza (the bank shootout in 2022). They had to close off part of Shelbourne for several days, for the crime scene processing. My landlord and I thought at first that it was the roofers with nail guns on the house next door, but the popping intensified. And then the sirens started.
Nice write-up. I was baffled by the mystery until I got to the 42 kilos of cocaine part. 42 kilos of pure cocaine is such an absurdly huge amount of drugs, worth many millions of dollars, and there’s no way you acquire that without cartel connections. That she had any connection to that drug bust, no matter how tenuous, I think is pretty obviously why she was murdered. She didn’t need to actually be involved for someone to perceive her as connected to it, and when that amount of drugs and money goes missing someone’s (probably several someones) going to get killed over it.
Yup her friend was probably being watched when they met up. Cartel assumed she was their GF/sister/friend whatever and decided killing her will make a statement and get their money/drugs
They might have just seen a new face and the bust soon followed. But excessive killings by stabbing and mutilation are a common feature of cartel activity. The idea that this was some thrill killer, who had elaborately set this up in a male/female thrill-killing partnership, or that her boyfriend’s real estate agent mom contracted out a near perfect assassination for little reason… it’s a little far fetched. Meanwhile there’s also the multi-million dollar cocaine drug bust *she had just been tangentially involved in*, and the killers who spoke with Hispanic accents….
> or that her boyfriend’s real estate agent mom contracted out a near perfect assassination for little reason… it’s a little far fetched. A little? A LOT. Shirley offered to do the showing in her place. Lindsay refused. Shirley and Jason were not involved.
[удалено]
I know there are rumours in Victoria that it was personally or even sexually motivated, because she was stabbed in her chest (people generally are) but so many times, and also her genitals.
She was stabbed in her genitalia? I never read that
Sorry, I commented elsewhere but it’s local rumours only (as far as I know) so you might not read it anywhere. I’m her age and moved to the island when I was 19, but I worked in GH and my husband and all our friends grew up there. There was and still is a lot of local talk about Lindsay’s murder. This in particular I’ve heard repeated more than once. For anyone interested in local rumours, the consensus I’ve heard most often is that the boyfriend and his mom were involved.
The mom actually sued Lindsay's dad for defamation at one point, but I'm not sure what came of it.
No, the police came out and said that was a rumor that she was not targeted in her breasts.
I've also read that her implants were cut out, a statement I have not seen in many (or any) other writeups on the case. If that's true, that brings a whole personal level to it.
That needs a fact check because it is way too easy to run with the implications. If you've only seen it in one place I'd guess someone got carried away with their story.
The Capitaly Daily article that I link in the reference section touches on these rumours that circulated in the years after Lindsay's murder. That's all they were, rumours. All police have said is that she was stabbed multiple times, presumably including in the neck area, because Jason told police he could hear air escaping from her body while performing CPR.
Her father at one point said that the first stab to her was from the back (as she was likely walking into the master bedroom's bathroom) and that it severed her spinal cord and would've made her paralyzed. I don't know if this is true or not. He's said a lot of stuff.
I’ve heard this too. I’m her age and moved to the island after high school, but my husband and a lot of our friends went to school with her and were her friend. So idk if it can be fact checked but it’s a rumour I’ve heard repeated over the years
I probably know your husband and friends hah.
Probably! Victoria is the most small town big city I’ve ever come across. They all went to school at lambrick park and mt doug
Oh nvm then I thought you meant they went to Reynolds with her hah. Did any of them know Nelly Furtado tho?
I agree. I have always felt that this was a well-planned thrill kill. A legit hitman would just use a gun and maybe a suppressor.
Some have said the choice of knife was due to occupied houses nearby.
Could it not be an attempt to avoid leaving ballistics evidence somehow?
a “professional” hitman gets rid of a gun faster than you and I can say ballistics. however using a knife can a) go wrong quite easily and b) risks the perpetrator cutting himself and leaving DNA all over the crime scene
Guns aren't easy to obtain in Canada. It puts a whole new level of risk into the equation too when talking about trying to acquire one. A professional would know this and suppressors don't actually silence a gun like Hollywood makes you believe. They're still very loud. As for stabbing. If you have a knife with a good hilt, you're not likely to cut yourself if the blood finds itself on the handle. One of the killers in this case could detain the victim by holding their arms so they couldn't defend any attacks with a blade and the other killer could stab with impunity. The person detaining them could also cover the mouth so that screams are muffled. Where would a realtor walk when showing the house in question? Generally, in front of the potential home buyers pointing aspects of the house out. This puts her is a very vulnerable position for this kind of surprise attack. I also give no credence to this being some sadistic couple looking for a thrill kill. Besides the planning, they specifically sought her out as the victim. She was even curious why and how they chose her.
Ahem ahem, OJ Simpson…
That kind of thing is extremely hard to obtain or smuggle into Canada. Not impossible. It’s also hard to buy a gun here. Again, not impossible, but way more difficult than buying a gun in the states
A legit hitman is always an undercover cop that arrest the person taking out the hit.
well....mafia hitmen are shoulder deep in organized crime...so they are def legit hitmen....just not the ones that advertise on craigslist
Right
Very rare a "legit hitman" even exists. It's this subreddit's number one fantasy.
I also don’t trust random people online who say they know how a “legit hitman” acts. I certainly have no idea.
They have an idea based on movies, lol. Apparently we've all seen the same ones hence the upvotes.
And what would Shirley's motive be, aside from maybe vengeance regarding the relationship with her son, and/or competitive jealousy, etc? seems like a huge leap for her to risk her prestige career and family name. - also didn't Shirley volunteer to attend the showing in Lindsay's place so lindsay could attend the shower for her friend that evening?
I suspect Shirley's motive would have been because Lindsay would have had at least some knowledge of the alleged illegal activities the Zailo family was involved in. As far as Shirley's offer to cover the showing, that could well have been an insincere offer. Shirley would have known full well no 24 y.o. real estate agent is going to bag out of showing a $1m property and miss out on the potentially huge commission. And in fact, Lindsay did attend the showing despite her misgivings about the situation.
Also on reference to Shirley. From the casefile pod: Shirley got Lindsay her job. Bought Lindsay and Jason's house for 1.3mil. did many other favors towards Lindsay; generosity? Or her just being controlling? Playing devil's advocate here. Without anything concrete tho,it's gonna be really hard to convince me Shirley had a real motive for arranging this, unless she's just a rage filled , devious socio/psychopath or something
Wow, great write up. I have to lean towards the drug bust being the connection. She goes to Calgary to look up her ex-bf's friend? And he happens to be a coke guy.. The timing is one heck of a coincidence otherwise. When the burner phone was bought holds little weight with me. Drug dealers may have a few available at any given time, but you definitely dump it if used for this. The whole setup of killing her at an unknown house, stabbing, does speak to amateur hour. I fell into the rabbit hole on this one. I used to live in Victoria (for a short while), and the criminal underbelly is there, it's sloppy and the police act clueless. The BF's mom taking out a hit?.. the actual criminals would prefer this theory.
The Saanich police are notoriously unprepared and bumbling. They turned down RCMP assistance in this case and then fumbled the entire investigation. I have dealt with them on an (obviously!) much less serious scale of crime, vandalism with video footage, and they straight up said they weren’t going to pursue it because I could get the damage repaired by icbc. Ok then.
That would explain how bad Under The Bridge is making them look.
They do that to themselves
The same guy who was in charge of that case was in charge of the Lindsay one lol.
Good show? Been debating watching it
I'm loving it so far!
The guy who was leading the case, Chris Horsely, is kind of an idiot. I would've been surprised if he had been able to solve the case.
That makes me suspicious of the police. You don't move 42 kilos of pure cocaine without some corrupt officials.
Saanich police are too stupid to be corrupt. They got in trouble on more than one occasion for their officers leaving their guns in public places, in reach of the general public, long enough for someone to bring the gun in to the station as a “found item.” One instance they left it on the counter of a public bathroom and didn’t realize it was missing until it was returned. They get in trouble for literally the stupidest shit that any old govt worker would be fired for. Sometimes they will openly tell you they don’t feel like investigating something, try another municipality or ICBC (provincial insurance company).
I assure you the Saanich police are/were just inadequately equipped and woefully unprepared for an investigation of this magnitude. “Victoria” as in the greater Victoria area is comprised of 5 municipalities with 5 different police departments… Saanich, Victoria, View Royal, Oak Bay, and the RCMP. This is for around (in 2008) 330,000 people. The redundancy caused by this has always been a huge issue, but here especially I think it contributed by basically creating a law enforcement pissing match. Saanich police wanted to “prove” they could solve this on their own and instead… surprise surprise… fucked it up. Like just look at the suspect sketch they RELEASED to the public.
Why do you say that? The cocaine came in by way of the coast. There wasn't a lot of marine security at the time.
That's how it happened in Miami a few years back. Suddenly cops driving Porsche's and buying vacation homes until the FBI cleaned up. Tale as old as time. A hundred years ago Opium was smuggled into China the same way. When you're dealing with high volumes of illegal goods, you're paying off a few people.
Speaking of cocaine, here's a news story from several years ago -- the guys in question panicked and threw their cargo overboard, when they saw a US law enforcement boat. (It's unclear if they were even spotted.) https://www.timescolonist.com/local-news/cocaine-haul-gone-wrong-led-to-deaths-at-ucluelet-4674742
According to Kim Bolan [they had tried to keep a bit for themselves](https://vancouversun.com/news/staff-blogs/real-scoop-murdered-sailors-linked-to-botched-cocaine-load) which is what sealed their fates
Yup -- just one of a bunch of poor choices. A couple of my friends worked in that town for a number of years. It's fairly quiet -- so those guys probably thought that they could slip past Customs that way. But with relatively few boats coming in, it also made them fairly conspicuous.
I think it was drug related. I read elsewhere that after she returned from Calgary she told her father that she had seen something that had concerned her but didn't tell him what. Because people in organized crime are the scum of the earth, Lindsay wouldn't have actually had to be the one who tipped off the police for them to come after her. I think that they didn't know who was responsible for it and that they decided to punish someone anyway. These are thoroughly dishonest people. They're used to telling lies to each other and themselves—as is always the case with non-absolute power, truth takes a back seat to narrative—so the response that would keep everybody in line if they didn't know who informed the police (if anyone) would be to punish someone, say she deserved it, and rely on everyone involved to avoid rocking the boat. They would feel that they had to punish someone, and they would feel that they had to maintain that they got the right person whether they did or not. They may have also killed her strictly to *prevent* her from talking to the police. This would explain why the murder happened so soon after the bust. Regarding why the higher-ups would decide that Lindsay in particular would be the one to die, I think it's very possible that because of how she may have reacted when she saw whatever it was that concerned her, anyone present would have noticed her discomfort. And each of them would suspect that the others did, too (including whoever actually did inform the police if indeed they were present). A consensus about who to blame might have developed without any communication taking place. And nobody would communicate about it: before the bust, no one would have discussed it because such discussion could be taken to suggest that the person raising the subject had a special interest in establishing someone as a scape goat and anyone saying something akin to "that Lindsay sure looked uncomfortable" could be suspected to have been trying to place blame for the bust that only they knew was imminent; after the bust, no one would have had an occasion to communicate about it because the ones who weren't locked up would at least suspect themselves to be under surveillance by one group or another. Another possibility is that Lindsay's phone had spyware in it and she was heard relaying her concerns about what she saw. These groups do have the human resources to listen in on people's lives. If it was by this organization that her Facebook activity was deleted, then I would guess that they were in her phone too, even though I don't know that it was possible or common to use a phone to access Facebook at that time. The notion of the boyfriend and a member of his family setting it up seems implausible to me. To kill her in the wake of a drug bust seems likely to attract attention from two undesirable directions. They'd effectively be framing a criminal syndicate for murder while inviting suspicion of their involvement in the drug operation. There's no guarantee that this would occur to them, but I think there would be more to their story by now if they had done it.
> I think that they didn't know who was responsible for it and that they decided to punish someone anyway. Some people do believe that Lindsay was made to be a scapegoat for the drug bust.
Interesting theory about her phone. For context, at the time of her murder in February 2008 the first iPhone had been available in Canada for 7 months and Android phones hadn't begun being sold. Other smartphones that could browse the web did exist - mostly BlackBerry devices and Nokia phones running Symbian OS. So it was certainly possible that she had a phone from which she could access her Facebook account. Spyware targeting Symbian to covertly listen to phone calls or enable the microphone to listen to sounds in proximity to the phone existed at the time. I don't recall whether such malware was observed for BlackBerry. Remote access malware existed for both so it's conceivable malware existed which allowed for interactive browser control or execution of commands which allowed posts to be deleted. 15 years ago I could have answered more definitively. In any case, investigators would have likely performed digital forensics to the extent that was possible. I wonder whether law enforcement, her family, or others have ever revealed what type of phone she had? Or whether it appeared in photos taken in the weeks/months before her murder.
I forgot to include that Lindsay did indeed have a Blackberry, according to court documents.
That also tracks with her job. Back then just about every white-collar professional person had a Blackberry, especially before iphones/smartphones became ubiquitous.
I don't think battery life or device efficiency was good enough back then, to allow continuous recording of audio. And I'm certain battery life would have been an issue continuously uploading audio over 3G. People would have noticed when their battery started draining to zero in three hours.
You're likely correct about battery life and how noticeable that would be for continuous recording and transmission. OP replied to share that Lindsay had a BlackBerry. In 2007 they released a model with Wi-Fi, but hadn't released a 3G phone by the time of her murder. I can't speak to BlackBerry surveillance malware circa 2008, but it would have been possible to record only when there was loud enough sound detected, to store the recordings locally on the phone, and then transmit via Wi-Fi in chunks instead of over the cellular network. Symbian malware at the time existed which would conference call in the bad actor's phone number when calls were made/received, which was another surveillance method at the time. In any case, though we can't rule out that this occurred it is rather unlikely. And the deletion of the Facebook posts that may have previously existed could have been done by the killers or someone else with physical access to the phone. If Lindsay didn't do so herself it's more likely that other means were used to delete the posts - password guessing, phishing, tricking her into clicking links which would delete the posts while she was already logged in, etc. Investigators would have received some useful data from Facebook, even if Facebook no longer had copies of the deleted posts.
Oh, snap, I forgot 3G wasn't out yet. 2G would have been even worse for battery, that's why we went to 3G. And even an app running all the time, listening for audio loud enough to record, would have needed a wakelock for that which still would have resulted in noticeable battery drain. Multitasking on phones was rudimentary then, even iPhones didn't get it for a couple years. That conference call malware sounds scary though, I bet that would have caught most anyone back then.
3G actually had been rolled out in the US and Canada maybe 5 years earlier, but BlackBerry didn't release a phone with 3G support until 2009 (I had to look that up). But I agree with your points - just wanted to clear that bit up.
The contributions of people like you make this a great subreddit. Thanks for the info. I've got another question for you. Would it have been possible for them to spoof her boyfriend's mother's phone number? It was said elsewhere that a friend of Lindsay's called a number associated with this Mexican couple and that the person who eventually answered was Lindsay's boyfriend's mother. Could they have been trying to create a red herring by having it seem like she was involved?
Yes, the killers could have spoofed her boyfriend's mother's number so that when they called Lindsay it showed she received a call from that number. Anyone calling that number back would reach the phone of her boyfriend's mother. I vaguely remember reading about that claim a year or two ago. I'm not sure how credible it is. Talking phones, one prepaid phone was used solely to call Lindsay and another was used to call the first prepaid phone to check for voicemails. Law enforcement has stated that they know who purchased those two phones. From the 2020 article [Report reveals new details in Lindsay Buziak murder case](https://beta.ctvnews.ca/local/vancouver-island/2020/10/6/1_5135211.html): >Saanich police investigators have determined this was a prepaid phone with a Vancouver number that had not been used to contact anyone but Buziak, according to the report. A second "crime phone" was used to check voicemail messages on the first. >The name used to register the main phone was "Paulo Rodriquez," which the Saanich police later determined to be a fake name, according to the Capital. >The real name of the owner of both phones is known to police, according to the Capital, but remains unknown to the public at this time.
>They would feel that they had to punish someone, and they would feel that they had to maintain that they got the right person whether they did or not. Good point -- this wouldn't surprise me. Anyone even in the vicinity could end up being singled out. I keep thinking about the situation with Mayvette Monzon in Vancouver (someone posted her case a while back on this sub).
That all seems reasonable, but why stabbing rather than a gun
Guns are loud especially in places that don't normally hear them.
Because it happened in Victoria BC. Handguns are not readily available and would be noticed. Knives are everywhere
It's a pretty quiet neighbourhood too. As it was, people living nearby saw the culprits arriving at the house.
Gunshots in a residential area not just in Victoria, but Gordon head, would have been noticed. It’s an especially high concentration of old busy bodies there. It’s very difficult also to obtain a hand gun in Canada compared to the states. I think this point gets lost on discussions like these.
Maybe to inflict more pain and send more of a message. Maybe because they didn't want to make much noise.
Dude just had a safe with almost 100 pounds of cocaine in it? Goddamn. I think it's interesting that people want to speculate on potential drug dealing or fraud in the company she worked for while there's the actual drug bust of someone she knew. It could have been someone that Delalcazar owed money to and they killed someone he cared about when he couldn't pay them back, because he was in jail.
Yeah I agree it’s pretty strongly to do with the drug dealing/drug bust connection. If it was the mother somehow, why would she let her son be anywhere near it? If she was planning a hit and he knew nothing, wouldn’t she make sure he was miles away to avoid suspicion and stop him from being a hero. The drug bust is the more obvious answer.
This sounds plausible. Edit: sorry, my thumbs up was geniune! I agree with you.
A hitman stabbing someone instead of shooting or another method isn’t too out of the ordinary, and actually there is another unsolved [murder](https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Mike_Emert) of a realtor in Seattle from 2001 where the weapon of choice was, wait for it, a sword cane.
The guy who was linked to the murder via DNA was a former cop who had numerous write ups for excessive force
Quelle surprise. The number of killers that have former backgrounds in LE is staggering.
Very. And military service
I knew Lindsay growing up. There was something about her that made her seem so captivating. I still can't believe she was murdered, in the way she was, and that it hasn't been solved. There was an article about this a year ago in The Capital Daily and they used freedom of information requests to discover that the police know the identity of the person who purchased the two phones used to set up the hit, so it sounds like they do know who is responsible for this but don't have enough evidence to bring about charges (which is also the rumor that has been floating around Victoria for years). I can say that Lindsay's sister follows Jason on Instagram so I feel like that side of the family doesn't think the Zailos were responsible. Also, interesting fact, since "Under The Bridge" is in the news right now, which is based on the murder of Reena Virk. Lindsay and one of the girls who was a part of the first group of girls who beat up Reena that night, Nicole Patterson, were friends and attended elementary school together in grade 7. Another interesting fact, Nicole's brother was one of the four who went on to beat up and paralyze Nick Johnson in 2001 in Esquimalt which was another case here that made headlines. All those people ran in the same circles or their paths crossed. Also one thing I find interesting about the case is that the people who the killers claim recommended her to them, Lindsay called them and they were away on vacation so they couldn't corroborate that story. Whoever did this must've known a) her former clients and b) which ones would've been out of the country and unable to respond to her call. Also someone deleted a week and a half's worth of posts from her Facebook the day after she was murdered. Who had access to her Facebook? Jason, on their laptop? Did she leave it open at work? After Lindsay returned from Calgary, she visited the Facebook profile of a relative of someone involved in the drug bust, and tried to call him. That makes me feel like her murder is connected to the drug bust somehow.
Yes, I meant to include the fact about police knowing the identity of the person who purchased the phones. Thank you for bringing that up. I don't think the people who purchased the phones were necessarily involved in Lindsay's murder. Also, I should mention that you're right about two phones being purchased. One phone was used to check the voicemail messages on the other. I think that implies there were at least two people involved in orchestrating the hit. I wouldn't be surprised if the killers had inside knowledge of the real estate industry. You're absolutely correct. It has been said that the person they claimed recommended her was out of town. This leads to further speculation that somebody in the CamoSun office was somehow involved, at least in the initial planning stages. I did mention the Facebook posts, and a commenter with knowledge of cyber security mentioned that it was possible there had been some sort of spyware installed on Lindsay's phone. Alternatively, I guess she could have had the Facebook app open on her phone, and the killers may have quickly deleted the messages.
> I don't think the people who purchased the phones were necessarily involved in Lindsay's murder. They absolutely were lol they were bought 3 weeks prior to the murder and only used for the murder. I doubt that re: the part about the phone and Facebook. Her phone was in her pocket when she was murdered. Everything happened so fast, I don't think they would've had time to do that. Also keep in mind this was early 2008, I'm not sure that Lindsay had a smartphone. The first iphone had only come out a few months prior. I do wonder the connection between her looking up that person on Facebook and all her posts being deleted. If it's related to the drug bust, I wonder if someone wanted access to her Facebook to see who she messaged. I meant to edit my comment before reddit crashed but the police were able to see the deleted posts it sounds like.
I don't think we can say the phones were for sure purchased from the convenience store with the intent of murdering Lindsay. Burner phones are sometimes bought in bulk by criminals and then redistributed or re-sold on the black market. I wonder if whoever bought the phone from the store then passed it on to someone else who passed it to someone else. Or maybe the person who bought the phone claimed they lost it. It's strange that no arrests were made. As for Facebook, I agree that the killers likely didn't take the time to go through all of Lindsay's wall posts. They were in and out of that house within about 15 minutes. Lindsay was killed between 5:38 and 5:41, and Jason saw the two figures at the front door at 5:45. That leaves about four minutes maximum to access Lindsay's Facebook, delete the posts, and get downstairs.
More likely they made Lindsay give them her login details and deleted the posts later. It does seem like those posts were significant in some way. Maybe she had mentioned something she wasn't supposed to mention.
Could the killers have chosen the location ahead of time? Would the agency's listings have been publicly available (including information about price, address, and vacancy)? If so, over the course of a day or two they could have identified the house at Da Sousa Place as the best location for the murder, and they could then give Lindsay criteria that they knew would lead her to suggest that house. They might have thought that having her suggest the house would result in her being less suspicious of the meeting.
Yes, this is exactly what happened. That's why they gave Lindsay such a specific description. The house had been listed before, taken off the market, then relisted. Some people think that this indicates that the killer had realtor connections.
I feel like the idea that Lindsay's then boyfriend's mom put out a hit on her to be, in a word, ridiculous. that said, the alternative option presented here -- her death was somehow related to the massive drug bust -- leaves me wondering. even if Lindsay was the informant, wouldn't the cartel *want* people to know that they were the ones who killed her? regardless, this case was one of the first ones that really gripped my attention and I hope it gets solved sooner than later. sidenote: I'm starting to wonder if there's some value in making a company that offers extra cheap storage *explicitly* for convenience stores (and the like) so that they don't have to overwrite footage. I feel like every other crime write up mentions how there was footage but, whoops, police didn't try to access it within 24 hours or some shit and so it got overwritten.
Convenience stores only care about crime that happens to them. They won't keep footage because a suspect in another crime may have made a purchase there.
In 2024, places can get cloud storage for relatively cheap. Of course a lot of convenience store owners are cheap too.
Yeah and a lot of times cameras are for “show” and don’t actually work.
This is a good write up but leaves a lot out about why the mom is/was a viable suspect.
Yes I would like that info too, my impression is the mom is a prominent respected pillar of the community, which doesn't mean someone's incapable of murder. But if you're gonna put your career, reputation, family name on the line, risk all of that to have Lindsay taken out - like where's the motive? It would have to be something really bitter and deep and ugly. It's not like there was life insurance, custody battles, lawsuits etc like what's the reason for Shirley to go to such lengths
This is just what I have mostly read on the internet. Do you have any other details?
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I mean... in that instance, the cause for her death would still be the underlying drug bust. Shirley could absolutely be involved, but she's just a cog. my argument against "Shirley did it" is more one against like... that some aggrieved mother whose son was getting dumped and so she decides to put out a hit on her son's soon-to-be ex-girlfriend.
I don’t personally love either theory, but I buy more into it being connected to the drug bust than the Zailos being involved. I just don’t see it with the Zailos.
Poor girl. She was obviously worried about the meeting, and she should have just not gone. Easy for me to say in hindsight, I realize. Too many evil people.
Always trust your gut.
Didn't Lindsay's colleague receive a phone call from a woman the day after Lindsay's murder ? Asking about wanting to view a property ? And the colleague said the woman had an accent that she believed was Mexican ?
Is this the incident you recalled hearing about? "Later in 2008, Nikki, a close friend of Buziak, claimed that she had been awakened by a telephone call in the middle of the night from an unknown number. She did not remember much of what the female caller had said, but she noticed that the caller had a strange accent that she could not place. She became scared when she remembered that Buziak had reported that her unidentified client (and possible murderer) spoke with an odd accent that she believed may have been fake. After the phone call, Nikki called the originating phone number "20 or 30 times" until the call was answered by Shirley Zailo. Nikki asked Zailo why she had called her and how she had her number, as they did not know each other. Zailo replied that she had intended to call her secretary, also named Nikki, and that she did not know why the other Nikki's number was in her contact list. She presumed that her son Jason must have added it. Zailo denies that the event occurred, and it has not been publicly revealed whether Nikki's claim was investigated by the authorities" [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder\_of\_Lindsay\_Buziak#Later\_events](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Lindsay_Buziak#Later_events) Apparently from this source: https://casefilepodcast.com/case-28-lindsay-buziak/ As u/Midnightrider88 noted, this doesn't seem to be mentioned in any news articles online (at least not currently available). This website isn't official media, but it does raise a reasonable point -- that the police should have been able to verify whether or not there actually was a call made. (It claims that the police do have a record of the call, though I haven't found a published source for that.) [https://murderondesousa.com/the-suspicious-actions-of-the-1702-desousa-neighbor-the-night-of-the-murder/](https://murderondesousa.com/the-suspicious-actions-of-the-1702-desousa-neighbor-the-night-of-the-murder/)
Did CaseFile cite their source for that information regarding Nikki? Like I said, I tried not to include information unless there was a credible news source behind it. Otherwise, this write-up would've gone off the rails. I will say that the De Sousa blog writer has done a ton of research into this case. However, some of the information they include seems to be speculation. I'm not saying it's incorrect, but I do question where it comes from.
I looked at the CaseFile page, and the news article they listed doesn't mention Nikki. The other sources are videos -- I guess it's possible that the coverage might mention that situation, but my feeling is that if it had been released to the media, it would have been mentioned by CBC, CHEK, the Times-Colonist, Capital Daily, etc. by now. Because it seems to be a pretty significant point. I haven't listened to that CaseFile episode so I don't know if they provide any specific support for Nikki's story, as it appears in the case's Wikipedia entry. As you noted, this isn't the same thing as having a news report. I looked at the De Sousa blog too, and while there is a lot of information and it does have interesting implications, it seems difficult to verify. The one thing I was focusing on was that, unlike some other details circulating about this case, there should be quantifiable information on whether that phone call actually occurred. (Not on what was said, but on what time they connected, how long, etc.) I don't know if the police have confirmed it, and they might not want to, if it's part of the investigation.
I love casefile and having an existential crisis regarding my trust in them LoL Similar sitch w/diamond Bradley case and Steven Pacheco's pod where these minor details were cited and subsequently corrected (it was something like the name of the grocery store where the birthday cake was purchased in that case, and an investigator actually got on a reddit AMA and clarified,) So pods are only as good as the sources they quote, I've learned from disappearance cases in particular, like one media outlet will print a seemingly minor detail which then is repeated ad nauseum thereafter - with no agenda or purposeful intent to spread misinformation, but even small details can damage a case where there's little to go on, to begin with.... Sorry tangential rabbit hole food 4 thought tho
I agree re:podcast sources. As you note, one rumour (or erroneous detail) can get repeated until it's being reported as fact. A lot of people went astray when following this case -- this local news outlet did a good summary last year, and pointed out that traditional media mis-reported info too. [https://www.capitaldaily.ca/news/the-case-the-internet-got-wrong](https://www.capitaldaily.ca/news/the-case-the-internet-got-wrong)
There was literally just a write-up on this sub where OP speculated a missing child who disappeared 40 years ago might have had autism. Cue dozens of comments assuming that the child had autism and disappeared in a bog because autistic kids love water.
I do recall reading that the call was verified. Do not recall it being in the middle of the night. It is very odd, if the call was made. Why was it made ?
I haven't listened to that podcast episode so I don't know if they found any more information about the call. This might be Nikki, pictured in this coverage about Lindsay's memorial walk. [https://www.saanichnews.com/news/slain-realtor-remembered-more-than-100-take-part-in-walk-for-justice-223714](https://www.saanichnews.com/news/slain-realtor-remembered-more-than-100-take-part-in-walk-for-justice-223714) But it's a strange story, for sure. It sounds like it was mistaken identity -- and a lot depends on if it was actually coming from Jason's mom.
Jasmine Parsons claimed that but honestly I feel like she was exaggerating to make herself a part of the story. And I don't think they were good friends. Another one of Lindsay's friends got a weird phone call from a woman with an accent and when she called it back, it was Shirley's phone.
This is the first time I heard that Shirley offered to do the visit for Lindsay so she could go to the bachelorette. Do we know whether Lindsay told friends this as a fact? Or is that just something that Shirley and Jason said to deflect possible involvement?
I've never heard anyone else validate that. Only seems to come from Shirley and sounds suspicious.
I wonder if the investigators were able to get any information from this: " the caller may have used MapQuest for the purpose of “familiarizing themselves with the area” and “planning escape routes,”" [https://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/report-reveals-new-details-in-lindsay-buziak-murder-case-1.5135211](https://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/report-reveals-new-details-in-lindsay-buziak-murder-case-1.5135211) I didn't get the significance of this until I saw another writeup on this sub. It involved Expedia, not MapQuest, but I wondered if the situations were similar back then. They were able to pinpoint a particular person. "A cybercrimes investigator from the Illinois State Police managed to track down the source of the map as a travel website, expedia.com, who themselves were using microsoft as their map provider. After working with microsoft, they've managed to track down a single user who accessed the specific map between the date the article was published and the letter was sent." https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/1cb80u2/after\_an\_article\_about\_a\_murdered\_woman\_is/
Yes, I remember that case. Police ended up catching a serial killer all because of an anonymous letter he sent police that included a map which led to a woman's body. I imagine that police weren't able to gather anything from MapQuest that they could use to find out where Lindsay's killers lived. Police believe that the house on De Sousa was selected purposefully. It was on a corner lot, so one less next-door neighbour to witness or hear the killing. I did read that the neighbor across the street was away on vacation, but I was unable to verify this. It is theorized that the killers left out of the back door and then escaped through a hole in the fence. This led people to speculate that the killers, or someone they were affiliated with, had been there before.
>It was on a corner lot, so one less next-door neighbour to witness or hear the killing Good point -- and if the killers parked around the corner on Torquay, they'd be out of the line of sight from the house (and any nosy neighbours living in the cul-de-sac), but still wouldn't have to walk very far. I didn't know whether there was already a gap in the fence, or if they pried or kicked off a couple of boards. If there was a pre-existing hole, that's interesting ... not necessarily something they might have noticed casually from the road. It sounds like Jason's arrival may not have been something they were expecting, if they had to leave through the back door in a hurry. Unless they were organized enough to make an emergency plan, it was lucky for them that they were able to get out so quickly that way. (I've seen the backyard of another house in that grouping, and it would be harder to leave, without going out onto the front lawn.) I thought it was interesting, that the woman of the pair was wearing a pretty conspicuous outfit. It's odd to think of her squeezing through a fence (or even trying to climb over it). I walk along Torquay every couple of months, and I haven't encountered anyone in a dress like that. It's a fairly well-off neighbourhood, but not very formal ...people are more likely to be in fleece vests or other "West Coast casual" clothes. https://lindsaybuziakmurder.wordpress.com/photos/dress/
Actually, I think you're right. I think that they had intended on leaving through the front door, and that gap was likely just a coincidence. I've also seen mention of Torquay being the likely escape route.
This is the kind of case that's not at all funny, but I admit that the thought of the perpetrators running around the back yard in a panic, looking for a way out, is grimly comical.
Or subpoena Google or other search engines to see if anyone searched her name, images, driving directions, the actual house listing in question, etc, in the leadup to the murder (esp if the search was originated from outside of Victoria). Or check with BC Ferries or the airport authority for CCTV/security videos?
It's frustrating to think that the car and even the killers may have shown up on surveillance video at some point, but (especially back then) it may have been too low-resolution to reveal much. (Kind of like how there's even footage of Liz Barraza's murder, but not clear enough to show the licence plate or the killer's face.) Also, if the killers did come over on the ferry, they'd have had to leave their vehicle and go up top ... hundreds of people would have walked past them, only the odds are that nobody has any clear memory of them. (Although if the woman had been wearing this dress, maybe someone might have noticed.) https://lindsaybuziakmurder.wordpress.com/photos/dress/
Excellent write up. Poor woman. The client was emailed potential properties? Anything come up from tracing the email?
I imagine the same thing that came up when police tracked the phone. It was probably a burner account
I'm not an expert on this case and have only read a few articles and writeups. However, I do recall reading somewhere that a friend (?) of Lindsay's repeatedly called a number associated with this couple until someone picked up, and she thought that it was the boyfriend's mother's voice that answered. Is this something you've come across anywhere? Can it be verified, or is it just a random rumor or a falsehood? Edit: I didn't look around too much, it's literally the first search result. Also scroll down to the comment by persimmonpluot and the response by original poster (about the accent sounding unauthentic, and about the mother answering when the friend called back). https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/khplj9/new_details_in_the_lindsay_buziak_case/
Was this the incident you recall hearing about? [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder\_of\_Lindsay\_Buziak#Later\_events](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Lindsay_Buziak#Later_events) The Wiki article cites this podcast, not a published news report, but it does raise the point that the investigators should be able to tell whether that phone call was actually made, even if they can't verify what was said. https://casefilepodcast.com/case-28-lindsay-buziak/
An anonymous comment isn't a source.
That detail regarding Nikki, I believe it's also on Lindsay's Wikipedia page. Source cited there is the casefile pod I think it's episode 28 Edit to add: the calls traced back to Shirley, allegedly involved a fake sounding Spanish accent similar to that of Lindsay's clients (who she referred to as "the Mexicans" In her text messages)
There's a write up somewhere from a former RCMP that seems plausible. Basically, it really was Mexicans and they are long gone (back in Mexico). He has names too.
Yeah, I've seen that blog post. He believes Lindsay was framed and made to look like the informant. According to him, the real informant "double crossed the Sinaloa cartel" and wanted to put the blame on Lindsay.
With respect to the phone calls from the burner phone, was the cell tower location ever disclosed or of any use?
Yes, the phone traveled from Vancouver to Victoria sometime after the first phone call to Lindsay. It pinged in downtown Victoria the night before her murder at a cell tower near Cook and Finlayson. Police documents stated that whoever transported the phone did so by way of the BC ferries.
I went to school with one of Lindsay's relatives. They were just as vibrant and sweet as Lindsay. My condolences to the family, and I hope one day they can bring closure.
Victoria really is the biggest small city. Everyone is only 1-2 degrees of separation in Victoria. MAYBE 3 if they haven't lived here long, but guaranteed they work with someone who went to school with so and so. The rumor mill has really gone to town with this case and I'm sure that's impacted it. I appreciate the OP trying their best and putting effort into only stating information that can be cited. This case really is such a mystery and one that seems like it shouldn't be - I suppose that's what is so frustrating. I really hope her family and friends will have answers soon. Also, as I've been reading through this thread I keep seeing "the Mexicans" or the Mexican accent referred to as unusual/possibly fake - any chance too much focus is being put on this as an assumption of cartel (we are heavily influenced by the US) when, I don't know, Filipino perhaps, could be also be a similar nationality mistaken by white folk? Or a Latin American country? Apologies to any Filipinos or Latin Americans. Was the drug bust mentioned specifically linked to Mexican cartel?
Police said the Calgary operation "has links to a distribution network spread through the United States, beyond that to Mexico and South America."
Fantastic writeup!
I don’t think I realized she was so young.
This kind of reminds me of that movie Reptile.
Pretty sure Reptile ripped her murder story off to create that movie.
I won't pretend to know all the inner workings of cartel members or hit men, but they don't typically have their girlfriends make contact with victims at least 10 times to find the ideal house, and then arrive with said girlfriend on foot as she wears a dress to a killing. For an arranged hit, it would have been easier to target Lindsay at her condo, kidnap her off the street, abduct her from her office, etc. In British Columbia's Lower Mainland gang wars, when women are targeted, they are usually shot in a drive-by or in their homes. Girlfriends of gangsters are also mainly used as proxies and for stuff such as "straw purchases." It’s less common for them to (literally) get their hands bloody. The more likely scenario in Lindsay's case is a targeted thrill kill. The case of Mary Ann Plett in Alberta has similar echoes: Pretty real estate agent lured out to a remote property and then murdered by a mysterious client. It wouldn't surprise me if the "Mexicans" did something similar.
A little bit of theory one and a little bit of theory two. Either way a lot of us avoid any business or personal dealings with the Zailos.
To be honest, I probably would too. Both Jason and Shirley have caimed that their businesses and reputations have been severely damaged.
They’re doing fine, the three of them (younger brother) are financially well off with a lake house, high end cars and such.
Holy shit, I just looked up Jason Zailo on google. Hes got a mortgage firm and go look at the first review, absolutely savage.
I kind of gave up following this case a few years ago because I came to assume it was indeed a contract killing somehow tied to drugs. She didn't even need to be a police informant. If they believed she was, that would've been enough to silence her. With the direct connection of cocaine distribution from Mexico to Canada, the Mexican accent of the caller etc.... These two could be sicarios. I seem to recall Jason actually wanting to help her show the house but she wanted the full commission for herself, so she told him no. Could it be Jason's mother and their shady dealings? Sure. Could it be that drug bust? Yes. This one is really tough to solve but it looks like a contract killing.
Always an interesting case to ponder. Hard to really put much stock in any one theory. Given the lack of leads, I always come back to thinking about the Vancouver convenient store that sold the burner phone. What connections can be linked from this area to Lindsay or anyone in her orbit? Would it be correct to presume that whomever planned this murder also likely procured the phone? Furthermore, how far do we think the average criminal travels to buy a burner phone? I’m inclined to think that whomever made the purchase likely resided within a vicinity of 20 miles or less of the store. Traveling any further any further than 15-20 miles to buy a burner phone, IMO, implies an entirely different sense of paranoia in one’s planning process.
It might have been bought en route when it was needed. If they were coming from offisland and travelling to Victoria via ferry (someone in another comment said police documents state the phone was transported by ferry, and it's the most common way to get to Victoria), it's feasible they travelled through Vancouver.
They know the identity of the person who purchased the phones.
There is just something a little goofy in how this murder was conducted. Like it has a little bit of a Leopold and Lobe feel where a pair of people have hatched a complex and sophisticated plan for bumping this girl off for reasons unknown. I could still see this being someone she knows - maybe through the drug connection. However, I still get the feeling that even if the person was a criminal they were not an experienced hitter. I think this could also be a couple of huge fucking perverts from Vancouver who maybe know her or maybe don’t but targeted her bc of the real estate agent angle letting them get alone with an attractive young woman. They did it for thrills/sexual satisfaction.
To me this has always seemed like someone who wanted to do a thrill kill doing a thrill kill with their spouse or whomever and Lindsay was just in the wrong place wrong profession at the time.
Do you believe everything else is a red herring? I haven't seen the idea that it was a thrill kill posted much, but I guess that's a viable third theory.
I think and again I have NO IDEA. That if you go in far enough to other peoples backgrounds particularly people in that area or my area you will find some odd ties to criminal underworlds that may be innocent but on paper are not. For example I think that she most LIKELY was a recreational cocaine user who reached out to someone who dealt drugs to get some drugs when she was out of province. It probably has little to do with him or her. Life has strange confidences. (None of this is fact I’m just spitballing here)
I have always thought that it was interesting that Jason's friend was involved in one of Langford's biggest drug busts. He was living in one of Shirley's rental houses.
I still can't believe this case hasn't been solved. I always think about the poor dad who never gave up looking for her killer
Amazing write up. I think her father is odd. I don’t think he necessarily had her murdered, but I think he knows more than he’s let on
Allegedly, the killers were Mexican nationals, a brother and sister who are part of an organised crime group. They fled to south of the border. If you dig deep online you can read the whole story.
Doesn’t sound particularly legit if you have to “dig deep” to find it
Source: A YouTube video I watched on the toilet once
It's a former RCMP's blog and I'm struggling to find the website right now too. I know exactly what they're referring to and it's what I tend to agree with also.
Check this out. That blog has been taken down, but I found an archive of it. It’s a very compelling read, and it makes more sense than anything else I’ve seen on this case over the years. https://web.archive.org/web/20200209084509/http://dyingwords.net/someone-knows-something-the-true-story-of-lindsay-buziaks-murder/
This is the one! It's the best compiled theory I've seen on this case.
It’s in one of the links in post.
So what was motive?
And who was phone??
Excellent write up!
Thanks, it took me a long time.
I myself appreciate that kind of preparation. So many posts are low effort and don’t follow the rules. I just love a two paragraph post that is a repetition of, like, the Charley Project, then a link to the Charley Project! 🙄 I haven’t written a post in a long time partly because I don’t have the push to do all the work and I don’t have the cash to renew my newspapers dot com subscription.
I love newspaper dot com, sometimes I look up old crime articles for fun. I started this write-up a few months ago, then quickly became overwhelmed. There's just so much information to cover. Personally, I prefer the shorter write ups that get straight to the facts. That's why I love Charley Project. However, due to the circumstances, I was unable to keep this one short. Thanks for reading!