This story was first published Feb. 1, 2009
When the crime scene tape came down outside 1702 De Sousa Pl. almost a year ago, Jeff Buziak walked into the empty bedroom where his daughter Lindsay was slain, sat on the floor, and wept.
He was devastated, like many family and friends of the slain 24-year-old real estate agent. But a year later, much of that sadness has turned to anger and frustration -- not at police, who have yet to find her killer, but at some people in Victoria who Buziak's father feels are holding back her case.
"I believe there are people in this community who either know what went on, or parts of what went on, and they are not coming forward," he told the Times Colonist. "I don't know how they live with themselves, I really don't.
"The community is letting police down. The killer, or killers, are out there somewhere. There are people in this community that... have to know who did it and they're not coming forward. I've stopped blaming the police."
Tomorrow is the one year anniversary of Buziak's death. She was viciously stabbed in an upscale home in Saanich's Gordon Head neighbourhood.
That Saturday, Feb. 2, 2008, she received a call from a woman with a foreign accent, who wanted to schedule a showing for the million-dollar home around 5:30 p.m.
The woman was reportedly eager to buy that day. Later, Buziak got a call from a man who said he'd meet with her alone. By all accounts, the scenario left Buziak nervous. She asked her live-in boyfriend Jason Zailo, also a real estate agent, to check on her later at the house. Nevertheless, she went to the home and was attacked.
Around 6:15 p.m. police received a 9-1-1 call from one of two people outside the house. The caller asked police to check on Buziak. Minutes later, police answered a second 9-1-1 call from a person now inside the home, asking for medical help.
It has been widely reported that Zailo was one of the people who found Buziak's body and called 9-1-1. However, police refuse to confirm that fact, saying only that the two witnesses have been co-operative. Regardless, days later, Zailo was asked back to the crime scene with his lawyer to reconstruct events.
Police pored over Buziak's life -- interviewing her friends, previous boyfriends, family and work colleagues. To date, detectives have interviewed 1,471 people, said Insp. Rob McColl, head of the major crime unit. Some interviews were conducted in B.C., others in cities such as Calgary.
Officers have chased down 752 tips and executed 30 search warrants looking for evidence, McColl said. They searched the Songhees condo where Buziak and Zailo lived, and collected dozens of footprints from real estate agents and clients, in an attempt to weed out suspects from legitimate prospective buyers who had toured the home.
Yet the killing remains unsolved. Police consider it a "whodunit," not a simple "smoking gun" homicide, McColl said. "It's common that these investigations are measured in years, not months."
Police aren't yet willing to divulge if they have a suspect, saying the focus remains on putting together the most detailed and accurate case they can, to ensure success if and when it goes to court.
A year ago, Saanich police said public tips weren't needed to solve the case. A month after the killing, the family considered putting up a reward, but police told them they had sufficient information and there was no need to do so. Now, after a year of trying, the department admits it could use help.
"We think some of the people we've talked to may have gone away and since learned additional information," said Sgt. John Price, Saanich police spokesman.
"We've talked to 1,400-odd people and they've given us a level of information -- some of them have shared completely, some of them have shared partly," McColl added. "There are people who were probably expecting police to knock on their door and say, 'What do you know about this?' Perhaps we haven't got to that for a variety of reasons ... and we want to talk to those people. Don't wait. Talk to police now."
Detectives stay in regular contact with Jeff Buziak, who lives in Calgary, and Lindsay's mother Evelyn Reitmayer in Victoria. At first, Jeff Buziak said he was angry at police for not making an arrest. But with time, he said, he came to appreciate they were trying as best they could.
"We're all sitting around being armchair quarterbacks watching CSI and The First 48, and these type of [TV crime] shows, and criticizing what they should or shouldn't do, asking who done it, speculating, and nobody's doing anything about [helping]," he said.
"The police are working hard. I see what they're going through. I see at their desk, they have pictures of my daughter they look at every morning." He said he's seen officers cry while talking about his daughter's case.
Jeff Buziak's plea for someone to come forward echoes a similar plea he made at his daughter's funeral on Feb. 9, 2008 -- but to no avail. Standing in front of the 650 people spilling out of St. Andrew's Cathedral downtown, Buziak said: "If there's anyone here who had anything to do with this horrible act, please come up to the front right now. This will be your only chance for forgiveness."
Lindsay Buziak's mother will spend tomorrow holding a low-key celebration of her daughter's life, said Art Reitmayer, Buziak's uncle and a family spokesman. Lindsay was a vivacious young woman, full of life, with a wide stable of loyal friends, he said. Sometimes all that she was gets lost in the coverage of her death, said Reitmayer.
Police "have their theories" but don't share them with the family, he said. There is hope that detectives can eventually make an arrest. "Can I say today that I'm 100 per cent confident that will be the case? No," Reitmayer said. "In order for something like this to get resolved, it requires a whole bunch of different pieces to come into place.
"We all have to be somewhat patient. It is working its way through, but it is a fairly complicated case, and I know if there's anything more out there, it would certainly benefit the situation if people would come forward."
Both sides of Buziak's family resent the rumours that continue to swirl about her death.
"She didn't do drugs," her father said.
"I try not to put too much weight on [rumours]. I try to listen to everything. I've been really struggling inside not to make my own conclusions and decisions about who did it, who didn't do it, as far as I'm concerned everybody to me is a suspect. As far as I'm concerned, no one is eliminated from my mind, and I struggle to keep my mind open all the time."
Police were quick to squash rumours that another police force has stalled the murder investigation because it is connected to a more important case. "It's not true, no other police agency is directing this organization," McColl said.
Rumours flourish in the absence of solid information, but McColl said it would be inappropriate to share any working theories about why Buziak was killed.
"Why she was killed goes to the absolute core of this [case], and goes to motive. And there's no way I can go to motive. So I'm sorry but there's no way I can answer that."
Police also refuse to discuss Buziak's boyfriend, Zailo. One side of the family thinks he's been comforting and co-operative, Reitmayer said.
"My family never had any reason to feel that relationship was questionable," Reitmayer said. "It's unfortunate people don't wait until a final determination is rendered and somebody is arrested before they start believing the worst of somebody."
Buziak's father said Zailo won't talk to him.
A real estate agent in the West Shore, Zailo briefly returned a call from the Times Colonist but said he couldn't agree to an interview until he asked permission from Buziak's family. He did not call back. His lawyer, Bradley Hickford, said any questions would be better answered by police.
Numerous friends contacted by the Times Colonist either did not return calls or did not want to comment.
The two women who were the listed real estate agents for the De Sousa Place home -- but were never called by the mysterious woman with the foreign accent -- say they still think about their slain colleague.
"It was all the buzz for the first six months, and we were just commenting the other day we don't hear a thing anymore," said Laurie Lidstone.
"Honestly, it's weird, but it's almost like it didn't happen," said Nancy DiCastri. "Nobody talks about it."
The killing sparked calls for increased safety among real estate agents who show homes alone, but police have said they don't believe Buziak was targeted because she worked in real estate.
At its peak, Saanich police had 20 officers working her case. During the year, 89 officers have helped investigate at one point or another. Five senior detectives continue to investigate full time. Last summer, the RCMP audited the Saanich murder file to ensure the investigation was up to standards. McColl called the results "favourable."
But no matter how many officers are scouring for clues, in the end, Buziak's family says it may never be able to move on from her death.
"It's horrendous," Reitmayer said. "As you can imagine, everything in this whole situation is so heinous because you have this young, promising individual whose life is taken and the natural order of things is totally thrown off, and we have no understanding of why.
"All of that weighs heavily on [Buziak's mother]. It's tough enough to deal with the loss of a child when you understand it.
"Losing a child when you have no idea why ... you can't understand it.
"Closure never comes, it is just time that makes it a little easier to talk about. Certainly the understanding of why, or for whatever reason [she was killed] is one of those things that helps in the healing process. We're just not at that stage."
Meanwhile, Buziak's father said he fantasizes about the "gutless cowards who committed this crime come and face me without their guns and knives and bravado." His words are full of anger and his face flushes as he speaks. Later, as he calms, he offers a more sober assessment.
"I think the best thing we can hope for is get a conviction. But nothing will help my grief."
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Lindsay Buziak Homicide Case Timeline
Feb. 2, 2008: Lindsay Buziak, a real estate agent with Re/Max Camosun, receives a call from a woman with a foreign accent. The woman asks Buziak to show her an empty home at 1702 De Sousa Pl. around 5:30 p.m. Later, Buziak reportedly receives a call from a man who says he'll be the one meeting her, alone.
Feb. 2, 2008, 6:15 p.m.: Two people visit the empty house. Friends say one is Buziak's boyfriend and fellow real estate agent Jason Zailo, although police have refused to confirm this. One person calls 9-1-1 from outside and asks police to check on Buziak. Minutes later, police receive another 9-1-1 call from a person inside asking for medical help. Buziak is found stabbed to death against a wall in an upstairs bedroom.
Feb. 6, 2008: Zailo returns to the crime scene with his lawyer. As police videotape him, he walks officers through the home and answers their questions.
Feb. 7, 2008: The Buziak family briefly addresses the media through Lindsay's uncle Art Reitmayer, who says there is too much speculation swirling and the family is satisfied with the police investigation.
Feb. 9, 2008: Family and friends gather for Buziak's funeral at the St. Andrew's Cathedral in Victoria. During the service, her father Jeff Buziak asks anyone who knew anything about the murder to come forward to police.
Feb. 12, 2008: Police deny reports they used search warrants to access the Songhees condo where Buziak and Zailo lived. Police say they searched the residence, but didn't necessarily need a warrant. It is the last news conference into the case. Saanich police tell media outlets there will be no further updates and ask the family not to speak to the media.
Jan. 30, 2009: Saanich police Insp. Rob McColl, head of the detective division, reveals some of what police have done in the last year, including interviewing 1,471 people, following up on 752 tips and executing 30 search warrants. Some detective work was done outside B.C., although McColl won't say where. Five senior detectives are working the file full time. There is no mention of suspects or motive.
Feb. 2, 2009: The one-year anniversary of Buziak's murder. Her family says they'll gather to remember her privately, but have turned down requests to speak at a news conference.
Feb. 3, 2009: Saanich police are expected to hold a news conference to further update the public on the case.
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House remains unsold one year after slaying; The property Lindsay Buziak was trying to sell when she was killed is still on the market, listed at $949,900
Despite a laundry list of high-end features, the house at 1702 De Sousa Pl. where Lindsay Buziak was killed remains a tough property to sell.
It is plagued by "residual issues," said Don Linge, an Esquimalt lawyer who represents Leauni Holdings Inc., the company that holds title to much of the surrounding subdivision.
Presumably, those residual issues stem from a torrent of unwanted negative publicity as camera crews and reporters broadcast from outside the murder scene last year.
Buziak was found dead in an empty upstairs bedroom. At the time, she had been trying to sell the house for $964,900. The five-bedroom luxury house, with four bathrooms, hardwood floors, ceramic tile and granite countertops, is described as a "dream home" on online listings.
Despite the negative press, the asking price has dipped just $15,000 -- that's less than two per cent of the original price. It's now listed at $949,900.
"If anybody wants to buy it, it's still for sale," said Linge.
At the time of Buziak's killing, Re/Max Camosun, the company she worked for, dropped the listing. Real estate agents across the country pledged to increase safety and develop monitoring systems for agents who show homes alone.
Re/Max Camosun has since reconnected with the property. Agent Adrian Langereis now displays the listing on his website. He did not return a call for comment.
According to a B.C. property search, two local construction companies have liens on the house for unpaid bills.
Leauni Holdings Inc., the title owner, is run by Joseph De Sousa, a local developer whose name adorns the cul-de-sac on which the subdivision is built. He also did not return a request for comment.
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Can You Help?
Anyone with information about the death of Lindsay Buziak is asked to call the Saanich Police Department tip line at
250-475-4313.
To leave an anonymous tip for police, call Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers at
1-800-222-8477 or, to submit an online tip, visit victoriacrime
stoppers.com.