MURDERED: Lindsay Buziak

[00:00] Hi, Crime Junkies. It's Britt, and I have big news. One of my favorite seasonal shows, CounterClock, is back with a brand new season, and it is wild. Host Delia D'Ambra is digging into the 2008 Lane Bryant murders. I mean, this isn't just a recap. It is a reinvestigation. She's talking to law enforcement, people from the community, even sources who have never spoken publicly until now. And you know I love a show that asks all the questions. Listen to CounterClock Season 8 now wherever you get your podcasts. [00:30] Hi, Crime Junkies. I'm your host, Ashley Flowers. And I'm Britt. And you guys, welcome to 2020, a whole nother year. And I want to thank everyone for all of, not just 2018, but 2019 was especially memorable for us. I think we got to do a lot of really amazing stuff. I mean, we partnered with the DNA Doe Project. We partnered with Homicide Survivors. We did stuff with Rachel's Week. We did stuff with all these different wonderful organizations. [01:00] of you when we were on tour. Yeah, yeah. But I'm so excited for what we've done. I mean, even thinking about Kara Schroeder and, you know, Jenny with the Jodi LaCornio case, we like raised money for billboards. I'm just so proud of what everyone did and like the actions that you guys took. These aren't just entertainment stories for you guys. You guys really took action in 2019. I'm so proud of you. I'm so proud of us, Brit, like in the show. It makes me cry, honestly.

[01:30] in 2020. So with that, you know, we're not super chatty. Let's [01:35] jump into the case I have for you today. And today, I'm going to tell you about one of Canada's most notorious unsolved crimes. It's a story that is still making headlines in Victoria, British Columbia more than 10 years later. This is the story of Lindsay Buziak. [01:53] Music [02:24] Back in 2008, when this story takes place, 24-year-old Lindsay Buziak was a rising star in Victoria, British Columbia's booming real estate scene. She was young and still just starting out in her career, but she was already making a name for herself as an agent in one of Canada's hottest real estate markets, where homes regularly and easily sell for well over half a million dollars. [02:48] According to NBC's Dateline episode called The Dream Home Murder, Lindsay was born and raised in Victoria as part of a big extended family, and she has lots of friends. Everyone who knew Lindsay described her as smart and caring and incredibly social.

[03:03] And that's kind of why she chose a career in real estate. It allowed her to be around people and interact with them on a daily basis. [03:11] Lindsay was living at the time with her boyfriend, Jason, who was in the real estate business as well. He was a mortgage broker with a real estate license. Now, Lindsay's dad was also in the industry, and so was Jason's mother. In fact, she was actually a manager at the Remax office where Lindsay worked. So real estate really was like very much a family business. Yeah, sounds like it. Now, at the end of January that year, Lindsay got a call. [03:41] in the area. She told Lindsay that her and her husband were making a move from Vancouver to Victoria for work and they wanted something within like 20 minute commute from downtown, something they could move into right away. Like they wanted to close this deal in the next two days. They were motivated buyers, they said. Now, this woman told Lindsay that they needed at least three bedrooms, at least three bathrooms and a separate living space for a live-in housekeeper. Oh, so this is like a very high-end potential client. [04:11] were willing to pay up to a million bucks for this house. [04:14] Now, this could be huge for Lindsay, who's pretty new in her career, like I said at this point, and she's basically still building a name for herself in the scene. So you guys probably know that realtors make a percentage of the sale price of the house. So the bigger the price tag, the bigger the commission. So this was a great opportunity, and Lindsay wanted to take it. But she couldn't shake the feeling that something didn't feel right about the whole thing. She asked the woman, how did you get my number?

[04:44] cold calls like this, and especially not on her personal cell phone. So the woman tells her that a former client of Lindsay's had passed along her contact information and recommended her. And like, okay, word of mouth. That's cool. That's like kind of like what you do as a realtor. Right. Now, Lindsay does make note that the woman spoke with an accent that Lindsay couldn't really place. It was weird enough that she told her boyfriend, her dad, and a few friends [05:14] in several interviews, including that dateline one I mentioned, that she even thought the woman might be using a fake accent to try and disguise her voice. So this was like not feeling right to her. Like her gut was just saying something was off. [05:27] So she decides before she's going to move forward to like double check with that client, the one who referred these new buyers to her in the first place. But that person was out of town and unreachable. So Lindsay wasn't able to like close that loop. What do you mean by unreachable? Like it's 2008 at this point. People have cell phones and email addresses. Yeah. And that's kind of what I thought too. And it's super strange to me. And I looked at a number of sources for this episode. And you can find all those on our blog. [05:57] like who this was or why they were unavailable. It drove me absolutely crazy. So anyways, even without satisfying her own gut check, Lindsay really wanted to take the client. Commission on a million dollar home is hard to turn down. And her boyfriend, Jason, agreed. He was like, listen,

[06:15] take the job. If you're nervous, I'll come too. And I'll just like stay outside on the street just in case. So this seemed less scary with her boyfriend there, especially with Jason, who was kind of a commanding presence. [06:28] Lindsay's dad was quoted in an article for True Crime Daily saying that Jason could be pretty intimidating if he wanted to be. Like he was 6 foot, 3 inches tall, 240 pounds, a former semi-pro hockey player. So definitely not a small guy. So him being there, even just parked outside on the street, was going to kind of put everyone's mind a little bit more at ease. Yeah. Yeah. [06:49] It didn't take Lindsay Long to find a couple of properties that matched just what the buyers were looking for. [06:55] The one that the buyers were most interested in was a brand new three-bedroom home in the town of Saanich, a suburb of Victoria. [07:03] So Lindsay and her clients arranged to meet at 5.30 that Saturday, February 2nd, to show them the house. So Saturday comes. Lindsay and Jason go grab a bite to eat at a local restaurant. Then Lindsay heads to the house in Saanich to meet her clients. Now, Jason had to run a quick errand first, but he said, you know, listen, I'll meet you at the house. I'll be there just after 5.30. [07:24] According to investigators quoted in True Crime Daily, the lockbox on the outside of the home was opened at 529 p.m., which is exactly what you'd expect for a 530 showing. At the same time, Jason was leaving the errand that he'd been running. He was actually dropping off some papers at a local business. He had a friend with him at the time, and the two were actually going to play a hockey game later that evening. So they were together most of the night.

[07:49] So Jason and his friend like finish this errand and off they go to the house to meet Lindsay. Now when he's driving there, he texts her around 530 to say that he was leaving. And she texts right back to say that, you know, I'll see you soon. The clients are just arriving. [08:03] At 5.38, Jason texts Lindsay again to say that he was a couple of minutes away. But this time, she didn't respond to that message. And in fact, she never opened it. But he thinks, you know, she's showing a house, so it's not super alarming that she's not responding. Okay. [08:20] Jason and his friend pull into the driveway at 545 and he sees what he assumes must be the potential buyers right at the front door. And he basically like sees them right in the door and then they walk back inside the house. So he's thinking like maybe they're like just getting there a little bit late and just now starting the showing. And he doesn't want to seem like a meddling boyfriend. So he decides to move his car out of the driveway and onto the main street. Now he still has a view of the house from there. [08:50] hopefully the clients like won't even notice him. [08:52] He and his buddy wait like 10 minutes in the car, and then Jason texts Lindsay again to see if she's wrapping up. Now, this is like 5.55 now, and again, there's no response. Okay. [09:03] At this point, he's starting to get a little bit worried, but again, doesn't want to meddle. This is Lindsay showing this is a big deal. The last thing he would want to do is like put off her clients by being some overprotective boyfriend or by making her look like she's afraid to be alone with them. Right, like she's a totally capable realtor. Right. So he waits a little bit longer. At 6.05, the clients have still not left the house and Lindsay is still not opening or reading his texts.

[09:33] be like a pretty grand, long, big ordeal. But like when you're home shopping, I mean, honestly, we were like in and out of ours in like 15, 20 minutes. I was gonna say if it's over 30 minutes, it's a bad showing. Well, granted, I haven't looked at million dollar homes, though. So maybe it takes a little bit longer. I mean, three beds, three baths, there's not much else to see. Right. But at this point, I mean, we're past 15 minutes, like it's after six. So he's starting to get a little bit worried. And his gut is telling him like, just go check. So he and his friend [10:03] walk to the house and knock on the front door. [10:06] No response. They ring the bell. [10:09] No response. So by now, Jason's like, listen, I don't care about being an overprotective boyfriend. I am going in that house. But he turns the handle on the front door and it's locked. Now he's really worried, worried enough to call [redacted address] for a welfare check. [10:29] While he's on the phone with police, he sees that the house's back patio door is open just a few inches. So he hangs up, and according to Jason in his interview with Dateline, he kind of like boosts his friend up over the fence so that his friend can go into the house through the back door and unlock the main entrance for Jason, which he does. As soon as the door is unlocked, Jason like bursts through, starts calling for Lindsay, whining. [10:55] But here's nothing back. Her shoes are right there at the front door, exactly where you'd expect to find them if you're showing a home. And Jason immediately bounds up the stairs, unknowing that his entire life was about to change.

[11:11] you [11:12] For decades, some cold cases have been reduced to files in a cabinet, but not anymore. I'm Ashley Flowers, and me and my team on the deck have been traveling across the country to report on these forgotten cases. And in some instances, it's resulted in these cases being solved after decades. [11:31] Join me every Wednesday as we revive these stories one card at a time. Listen to the deck now. [11:38] wherever you get your podcasts. [11:41] At the top of the stairs in the master bedroom is Lindsay, lying on her back on the floor, blood everywhere, and she isn't moving. [11:52] This is when Jason makes a second call to 911. Send an ambulance. She's not breathing. I mean, he is in full panic at this point. He tries CPR. He does everything he can to try and save her life. But Jason knew. He knew it was too late. [12:08] Police arrive on scene within just a few minutes. Remember, Jason had called them once before asking for a welfare check when Lindsay wasn't answering her text. Right. So they're already on their way when he called that second time when he found Lindsay. Lindsay Buziak had been stabbed multiple times. Some media reports say over 40 times. Others say dozens of times. And still others say like 10 to 15 times. So there are actually a lot of conflicting accounts in several parts of Lindsay's story. And this is just one of them. [12:38] And the reason I highlight this one specifically is because that I think the number of stab wounds could speak to motive. Stabbing someone 40 times in the face and neck and chest where she had been stabbed, as it was reported, feels kind of like a deeply personal attack to me. One with rage and passion behind it. Yeah, I mean, with...

[13:00] that many wounds, especially like in her face and neck, that seems like overkill. I mean, we see a lot in cases where emotions are running high and crimes of passion. Yeah, there's usually like some kind of connection to the killer, right? Like, and if you look at the other end of this, like, so we've got possibly more than 40, maybe as little as 10. Like if she was stabbed just enough times to ensure that she was dead, this kind of could paint a different picture altogether. [13:30] Right now I say that with a little bit of a caveat because 10 to 15 still could also be excessive depending on where she was stabbed. So either someone didn't know what they were doing and they stabbed her a minimum of 10 times because she wasn't dying or they did know what they were doing and like nine plus additional stab wounds could indicate overkill. Now. [13:53] I don't know for sure which it is because police have never made any official statement about Lindsay's injuries except to say that it was a vicious and lethal attack. [14:03] The only thing that they have confirmed is that there were no defensive wounds on Lindsay's body, and it appeared as though she had been attacked from behind, caught completely off guard. So, I mean, let's kind of go back again. If someone who didn't know what they were doing was attacking her, and they had to stab her a bunch of times to make sure that she was dead. You would definitely see defensive wounds, right? Right. So, I mean, just pure logic, I feel like this person knew her. And I have one more reason for thinking that.

[14:33] River Island Free Daily was one of the only outlets I could find that reported this, but they said that her breasts had been mutilated. Oh, that sounds pretty personal. So, yes, it does. If it's true, I think it would indicate a very personal attack. But again, because no details about the condition of Lindsay's body were released, I don't know if they were really mutilated or if they just took the brunt of 10 to 40 stab wounds. [15:03] But again, personal attack in the heat of the moment or a well-calculated kill by a stranger. No matter which, everyone is still asking why. [15:13] Police started where they always start, with the people closest to Lindsay, her boyfriend, her friends and family, her co-workers. Now, her boyfriend was the first person of interest. Everyone police had spoken to said the same thing. Jason and Lindsay loved one another. They were happy. But there was more to the story. [15:32] According to interviews Lindsay's dad, Jeff, gave to both NBC Dateline and True Crime Daily, there may have been some troubles in paradise. About six weeks before Lindsay's death, she had traveled to Calgary, Alberta to visit her dad. And while she's there, Lindsay told him that she wasn't happy with Jason, that she knew he was crazy about her, but that he was also jealous and possessive and she didn't like any of those qualities. [15:57] Jeff said that Lindsay told him during that trip that she was thinking of ending the relationship with Jason. So...

[16:03] You have to kind of ask, did Jason know that Lindsay was thinking of walking away, or is it possible that he found out after that trip? [16:10] Now, Jason was cooperative from the very beginning. He actually went back to the scene with police to do a walkthrough, and he even reenacted what happened that night. And they said that the evidence supported his version of events. He answered, He answered, [16:23] all of police's questions and even passed a polygraph. Well, and on top of everything, he was the one who made both 911 calls, right? [16:31] He was trying to protect and take care of Lindsay. Right. And I mean, even more than that, surveillance footage actually put him in another location entirely at the time of the murder. And he had that friend with him the entire time who was part of his alibi. So the evidence supports his version of events. And in terms of an alibi, it seems pretty airtight. I guess my only question is, like, obviously he and Lindsay were very concerned about the showing. [17:01] I guess [17:03] Why did he show up on time in the first place? So I think that would be suspicious if Jason's like singular focus that night was protecting Lindsay from potential danger. But he did have other things on his plate that day. So did she. [17:17] For starters, according to Gary Rogers' research, and he's this retired homicide detective and former coroner who now writes a blog called Dying Words, the two were working together on another real estate deal. The business Jason visited that day after he and Lindsay had lunch, the one where police have him on surveillance at 530, he was actually selling a property. Jason was the selling agent, and Lindsay was actually representing the potential buyers.

[17:47] to like be her bodyguard, but to deliver this paperwork. And like him being there to be like, you know, the muscle was just kind of like an extra benefit. Right. And I mean, really, how many times have we said this? I feel like we're beating this into people's heads every week. But often if something feels wrong or off, people... [18:05] always try and write it off. We have this underlying assumption that nothing bad will happen to us. It happens to other people. I'm just being paranoid. But it's okay to be paranoid, people. [18:17] So I really don't think that Lindsay thought she was like going to die or... [18:22] something horrible was going to happen i mean i think if she really really believed that she wouldn't have gone or she would have brought jason like inside with her right away and it's possible that this like mutual deal that they had kind of gave them a reason to connect that didn't make them feel like they were being paranoid just like very casual i'm gonna swing by and give you the papers and make sure everything's okay it just makes sense let's not freak out about it it just makes sense for us to do this i'm gonna be there anyways right [18:47] So police did have Jason on their radar very early on, but a little ways into their investigation, they end up being satisfied that he wasn't involved. [18:56] Police also investigated and cleared Jason's friend, the one that was with him that night that Lindsay was murdered. And they also cleared the others in her close circle of friends and family. I mean, obviously they have to look at her friends and family and everyone she knows, but the focus should be on the clients she was meeting, right? Oh, absolutely. Now, Lindsay hadn't mentioned their names to anyone, nor had she written them down anywhere. At home, she'd only ever referred to the couple as, quote, the Mexicans.

[19:26] as a nod to the fake sounding accents that she heard during that first phone call. But, you know, police obviously didn't know who they were and they couldn't figure out a motive. Some people thought early on maybe it was a robbery. I mean, they were super specific about wanting to see only pricey homes, but it didn't fit. Lindsay's watch, purse, phone, all other things of value were still at the scene. And the house itself that they went to see was vacant at the time of the showing. So [19:56] hit at this point. So that's what police start thinking. It was totally possible that this couple wasn't potential buyers at all, but professional contract killers. And there was evidence to support this theory. [20:11] you [20:12] For decades, some cold cases have been reduced to files in a cabinet, but not anymore. I'm Ashley Flowers, and me and my team on the deck have been traveling across the country to report on these forgotten cases. And in some instances, it's resulted in these cases being solved after decades. So [20:31] Join me every Wednesday as we revive these stories one card at a time. Listen to the deck now. [20:38] wherever you get your podcasts. [20:41] When police traced the phone used to contact Lindsay, they found, wouldn't you know it, a burner. And it was registered in a bogus name to a bogus address in Vancouver. Now, according to the website lindsaybusiakmurder.com, the phone had been purchased from a convenience store in November of 2007. And it actually remained completely inactive until January 2008.

[21:11] Lindsay alone. Literally, this cell wasn't used for anything else. About six or so calls are made to her, and in the day leading up to her murder, they can tell that the phone traveled from Vancouver, where it was purchased, to where Lindsay lived. Then, after the murder, the phone is never used again and is completely untraceable. That seems super planned and organized. Very. So, I mean, I think it's becoming a little more clear that [21:41] This might not be the crime of passion we thought it was. This was a thoughtful and deliberate, well-planned murder. [21:50] In addition to phone records, police did have an eyewitness who saw Lindsay and the couple that she was meeting that night. The witness said that they saw two people. [22:00] a man and a woman walk up the street toward the house and introduce themselves to Lindsay. [22:06] They only saw the man from behind, so the best description they could give was that he was about six feet tall and Caucasian. They got a better look at the woman, though. She was between 35 and 40 years old, they said. She had shortish blonde hair, like not quite shoulder length, and she was wearing a really distinctive dress. It was black, white, and bright pink. [22:29] Now, this witness says nothing about their demeanor stood out. They looked totally normal, like any professional couple coming to check out the neighborhood. Were they able to get, like, enough description to make a sketch or something? So of the woman, yes, they were. Police actually released the composite sketch along with a photo of the dress that the woman is believed to be wearing. Because, again, it was pretty distinctive. And here, I'll send this to you. You can take a look.

[22:54] Thank you. [22:55] Yeah, that is definitely a dress that I would remember. It's black and white and bright pink, like you said, and the color blocks kind of swirl up the front of the dress. It looks like something you might see someone wear in, like, an office, to be honest. Yeah, yeah. Professional looking, yeah, but definitely eye-catching. It almost reminds me of, like, something a newscaster would wear like. That's true, yeah. But the sketch that is provided is super vague. Totally, like... [23:24] I look at that sketch. I mean, first of all, it's only of the side of a woman's face. [23:30] And I look at it and kind of wonder why even bother putting that out? Like for how distinctive the dress is, this sketch is almost equally undistinctive. Like... [23:42] Like, no joke, I feel like maybe a middle schooler could have drawn that. Like, it's like an outline of a face with hair. Am I wrong? 100%. So because of how undistinctive it is, naturally, police really focused in on the dress to see if that could lead to anyone. Now, based on the description, police actually thought early on that it might have been a designer dress, like something with a limited run that could maybe lead them to whoever purchased it. But that didn't end up panning out. [24:12] style had been produced, and it was available in a bunch of department stores. Okay, but like this eyewitness saw them go into the house, did... [24:20] anyone see them leave? No. So no one saw them leave. And frankly, I think it's kind of lucky that we even have a description of the couple arriving at the house considering the time of day. Like if you're playing this out in your head the way that I played it out in mine, make sure that in the setting you're accounting for the fact that it is February in Canada. Like the days are getting longer by February, but the sun that day set before 5.15 p.m. So by the time

[24:50] 34, it would have been fully black outside. [24:53] Now, the people obviously weren't still in the house. So they had to have gotten out somehow. And we know they didn't, like, walk out the front because that's where Jason's car was the whole time. Right. So... [25:04] Police actually brought in a canine unit to see if they could sniff out a trail. They assumed that the couple had exited out the back patio door, the one that was kind of left a little bit open and that Jason's friend actually went inside of. [25:16] So then they're thinking, you know, they leave out of this door, they get over the fence out of the yard, and they're thinking they went to the next street. But the dog doesn't pick up anything. Like the scent's gone. So they're kind of believing that there must have been a car or like even maybe one with like another driver. There could be a third person. But there had to be some kind of way for these people to get away. [25:39] Now, based on Lindsay's phone records, police believe the attack happened at 5.41 p.m. inside that house, which means the couple greeted Lindsay in the driveway at about 5.30, followed her inside, killed her, and got away all within like 15 minutes. 5.41 seems horrible. [25:59] really specific. What makes police think that that is the exact moment? Well, when police looked at Lindsay's phone records, they saw those texts from Jason, the one that went unanswered, as well as a phone call that was made by Lindsay. At exactly 541, her phone made a call to a contact that Lindsay hadn't been in touch with like at all recently. And that person could hear only like

[26:29] Lindsay's phone was in her pocket when she died and that call was made right in the moment the attack was happening. Do we know if there was any physical evidence like this couple was in the house with her? [26:40] Was there... [26:40] anything that the police could go off of. So that's just it. They're... [26:44] was nothing. There was no murder weapon at the scene. Investigators didn't find a single shred of physical evidence in that house. Not fingerprints, not hairs, not DNA. Nothing. Lindsay's killers had walked out of that house and disappeared literally without a trace. And like, I want to talk just for a second about how brazen this crime really is. I mean, her killers couldn't have known that Jason would be outside waiting for Lindsay. But even so, this is not a secluded [27:14] street, there are houses all around the property. And the fact that they walked out of that house, hopped into a waiting car, possibly, and just drove off undetected is just like, [27:25] I mean, you've got to be so confident that you're not going to get caught. [27:28] And even more than that, police actually think that the man and woman were planning to exit out of the front door initially and onto the street. Because remember, when Jason pulled in that first time, he said he actually saw them kind of like step out of the door and then go back in. And he assumed that the showing was just beginning. But in Dateline's episode on this case, one of the lead investigators said that was likely exactly what they were planning to do.

[27:58] coming out, they had actually like [28:01] already killed Lindsay and were planning on leaving. But when they looked outside and they saw his vehicle in the driveway, they like calmly turned around and came up with a new plan. [28:10] And the investigator actually said if Jason had arrived at the house even a few seconds later, he would have literally driven past them walking down the street. [28:20] Okay, so to me, this is even more evidence of this being a hit. The window for this crime went from like 15 minutes down to 4. Well, how do you mean? Well, if they think that she was killed at 541 exactly, and the killers are, according to the investigator, potentially trying to exit the house at 545... [28:41] that's [28:42] almost unbelievable. Yeah, I mean, I don't see how anyone who isn't a professional hitman could commit a murder in that time frame. And like, just walk away from the scene. Yeah, four minutes, leaving no evidence behind. Exactly. But here's the thing. So if they were a hitman or a hit woman, a hit couple. Yeah. So if they were a hit couple, they probably knew how to cover their tracks. And [29:12] Instead, [29:13] The police, I think, kind of tried to like pivot. Again, now knowing we have a four-minute window, knowing this could be a hit, police tried to focus on – [29:21] Why? Why would someone have wanted her killed? Hitmen or hit couples, as far as I know, don't just like go around –

[29:30] taking people out as a hobby. It's a paid job. So who would have hired them? Who wants Lindsay out of the picture? [29:38] Now, I mentioned before that Jason was cleared of any involvement in Lindsay's murder. Saanich police actually announced that publicly, which is really unusual. Still, the murder remains unsolved, and so anything is possible, even if it's not probable. So we know for certain Jason wasn't the person to wield the knife that killed Lindsay, but a lot of people question could he have been involved behind the scenes. [30:03] Remember, there had been some talk about Lindsay being over Jason and about her maybe wanting to leave him. Like if he was as jealous and possessive as some have said he was, maybe that was motive enough to want her dead. [30:16] And people liked Jason for the crime as well because of how he acted immediately after Lindsay's death. Like, he didn't really cry. He didn't really seem rattled. And that gave people pause because they expected a boyfriend. Like, especially a boyfriend who was so worried about her he called 911 when she doesn't answer texts like you said before. Yeah. Like, why? [30:36] A boyfriend who was covered in his girlfriend's blood when paramedics arrived, they expected him to be more distraught. But listen. [30:43] We've said it a thousand times. We all grieve differently. And I'm not. You never know how you're going to react in these situations. Yeah. And I'm not sure it's fair to judge someone's guilt or innocence or how much they even cared for someone based on whether or not they cried enough, you know. And other than a couple rumors about a dissolving relationship and people just not liking how he's handling the trauma, there's no evidence to prove that he was involved.

[31:07] But Jason wasn't the only person the public was skeptical of. They actually also suspected his mother, Shirley, as well. Now, I'm not entirely clear on motive here, whether it was to get Lindsay away from her son or to get her out of the way at work. Because remember, Shirley was the manager at the Remax office where Lindsay was working. [31:37] and specifically had she hired someone to kill Lindsay. [31:42] But just like Jason, Shirley has been cleared of any involvement by the police. [31:48] And as time went on, as police were clearing Jason and clearing Shirley one by one, people who follow this case started to train their sights on a motive much bigger and someone who had a lot more to gain and lose from Lindsay's murder. [32:07] For decades, some cold cases have been reduced to files in a cabinet, but not anymore. I'm Ashley Flowers, and me and my team on the deck have been traveling across the country to report on these forgotten cases. And in some instances, it's resulted in these cases being solved after decades. [32:27] Join me every Wednesday as we revive these stories one card at a time. Listen to the deck now. [32:34] wherever you get your podcasts. [32:37] The strongest theory in the murder of Lindsay Buziak case is like something from a movie. Now, remember how I said that Lindsay had traveled to see her dad in nearby Calgary, Alberta, a few weeks before she died? Yeah. Well, during that trip, Lindsay reached out twice to an old friend from high school, once by phone and another time through Facebook.

[33:07] massive cocaine cartel. You know, he wasn't a good friend or someone that she spoke to regularly. So why Lindsay was calling this drug dealer out of the blue, no one really knows. And if police know the answer to this question, they're definitely holding it back because they haven't said anything. And they've never even said if they've been able to track a motive for the communications in general. Like initially, I thought maybe the guy lived in Calgary. So she was like reaching out to an old high school friend to see if he wanted to maybe like reconnect when she was in town. Yeah, [33:37] I was actually going to ask you if he was in the area. No, he wasn't. He actually lived in Victoria. So that isn't a reason she would have called him specifically then. Now, it's possible police don't even know why she made the call either, to be honest. And according to Gary Rogers' blog, no one knows if she even reached him when she called or reached out on Facebook, just that she attempted to contact him. Do you know if Lindsay was like a known drug user? As far as we know, she wasn't. [34:07] that she was involved in drug trafficking or anything else illegal. [34:12] Maybe this is totally innocuous. Like, Victoria isn't a huge place and everyone pretty much knows everyone kind of from what I hear. So you could almost write off these communications altogether. [34:23] Over the next six weeks, something would unfold that makes it really hard for me to believe that the phone call was just like a bizarre coincidence. Yeah. [34:34] At the same time Lindsay was visiting her dad in Calgary in December of 2007, police were launching a massive investigation into a Calgary drug trafficking operation with ties to Lindsay's hometown of Victoria. Now, they called this operation High Noon. In late January 2008, police seized a bunch of cash as well as [redacted address] value well over $2 million. Okay.

[35:03] More than a dozen people were charged in connection with that bust, including the guy that Lindsay tried to contact when she was in Calgary. Now, remember, this is late January 2008, the same time that Lindsay was murdered. Now, in that article I mentioned from True Crime Daily, Detective Sergeant Chris Horsley from the Saanich Police said this about the fallout from that raid. Quote, [35:33] This same sergeant said that after the bus came a modern day witch hunt where people were being pulled out of their beds in the middle of the night and threatened. So someone really wanted to know who that informant had been. [35:46] Again, on his blog, Gary Rogers suggests that whoever financed the cocaine deal and ultimately lost all that money was pissed about it. And they ordered a hit on someone to set an example. And it could have been that that someone was Lindsay Buziak. But here's the thing. Lindsay was not the police informant in Operation High Noon. That much we know for sure. [36:16] and the drug bust that followed. So if this is the backstory behind Lindsay's death, and again, it's really just a theory at this point, it seems like Lindsay was either mistakenly identified and targeted or even worse, just kind of collateral damage in all of this, like maybe a way to send a strong message that snitches won't be tolerated. Like it almost...

[36:38] Seems like if this is connected, it didn't matter who was killed as long as someone died and people knew why. Okay, but that doesn't make any sense. [36:48] People don't know why. If she wasn't connected to anyone that they were trying to get to, like, [36:55] What on earth would be the point of picking this random realtor to send a message and you don't [37:01] actually leave a message behind. Now everyone's just like speculating. No, listen, I agree. And it doesn't make total sense for me either. But I will say this. So Gary Rogers, that guy who's blogged on this case a ton, he goes as far as to say that someone from inside that Victoria real estate community was. [37:23] was involved in like her death in some way. So basically he's saying that even if Lindsay might not have been a, you know, random target, it was planned. And whoever was behind her death must have had, um, [37:38] some help from inside her circle. Because... [37:43] Again, to Gary, to me, like someone had to have provided Lindsay's personal cell phone number to that couple who killed her. Someone had to have given that woman the name of someone who would be a legitimate reference. Right. And maybe even know that they couldn't get a hold of her. Like – and they knew that Lindsay would jump at the chance to bring in a commission on like a million dollar sale. And, you know, it's even possible – [38:06] that they could have also like orchestrated the location, making sure that Lindsay had a short list that would include like a big empty house on a quiet cul-de-sac that,

[38:17] would ultimately become the scene of her death. [38:20] So with this criteria in mind, there is one person whose name comes up over and over again in this case. She was a one-time friend of Lindsay's, and she actually worked with her in the REMAX office at the time when all of this went down. And this woman actually had connections, romantic and otherwise, to the folks who found themselves on the wrong end of that high noon drug bust. Now, I'm not going to say her name here because she's never been named officially as a suspect or a person of interest. [38:50] she quit her job at REMAX pretty unexpectedly the day after Lindsay's murder. And again, [38:57] Maybe a coincidence, but if so, it's a pretty big one. [39:02] Saanich police say that there is some truth behind this whole drug cartel theory, but they won't say what the connections are. And they clearly don't have enough evidence to bring charges or pursue a conviction or they would have made an arrest by now. [39:17] The lead investigators have said this case isn't going to be solved with physical evidence. It'll be solved when someone steps forward with information. And everyone thought maybe we were close to that information in 2017 when someone left a comment on the LindsayBuziakMurder.com site. And not just any comment. According to NationalPost.com, it was a full confession with a taunt. Here is what they posted of the confession.

[39:47] you [39:47] I killed Lindsay, and stupid cops will never prove it. So you all got nothing. No one gives a s*** anymore anyhow except her crybaby dad. Even her fakie girlfriends have washed it away. Typical loser chicks. Saanich cops dropped it because they can't solve s*** and were told to drop it. [40:07] Cut the phony investigation. It's done. Go home, losers. Forget about her. The street always rules. B****es die every day. [40:17] Now, of course, in 2017, this got a ton of attention. Lindsay's dad, like, wanted this investigated. And it did get investigated, but the comment never ended up leading to anything substantive. And the case still remains unsolved. [40:34] Now, at this point, based on what they said earlier, it seems like police are waiting for someone to talk. It's been almost 12 years since Lindsay's death. Secrets don't stay secrets forever. And until Lindsay's killer is behind bars, her dad will keep fighting to keep his daughter's story out there and to keep Lindsay's memory alive. And he's been very vocal about his disappointment with the lack of progress in the case. [41:04] case in front of as many people as possible. Global News even reported on his appearance on the Dr. Phil show, where he made some pretty bold accusations about the police and the people that he thinks are involved. [41:16] And, you know, there are actually a lot of rumors online about who could possibly be involved in this case, who's tied to those drug dealers, like money laundering covers up. It's like a crazy, crazy web, which we can't fully get into because, again, none of that has been substantiated by police or other authorities. But if you want to go down that rabbit hole, I mean, you can check out the lindsaybusiacmurder.com site for more information.

[41:46] up for grabs. You can make an anonymous call to Victoria, British Columbia Crime Stoppers at [redacted phone]. [41:55] 8477. [41:58] if you guys want to see any pictures or sources from this case you can find all of that on our website crimejunkiepodcast.com and be sure to follow us on instagram at crimejunkiepodcast we will be back next week with a brand new episode [42:28] Thank you. [42:52] you [42:54] *music* [42:57] *music* [43:00] Crime Junkie is an audio Chuck production. So what do you think, Chuck? Do you approve? [43:07] Okay, Crime Junkies, you know, I absolutely love a twist and a turn, especially when it comes to people who turn out to be someone they're not. That's why I have been obsessed with the podcast Chameleon. Every Thursday, host Josh Dean deep dives into a scam so bizarre, it will leave you wondering, how did they get away with that?

[43:26] It is truly one of my favorite podcasts right now and I've been listening for years. [43:30] I think you'll love it too. [43:31] Listen to Chameleon wherever you get your podcasts.