On February 2, 2008, Lindsay Buziak– a Canadian real estate agent– was on the cusp of making a lofty sale. That evening, she agreed to meet up with a couple to show them a property worth almost $1 million in a wealthy suburb, Saanich.
The couple reportedly called Lindsay just a few days prior– detailing how they hoped to find a move-in ready home near the city.
According to notes in the 24-year-old’s planner, she knew that the couple was seeking a house with a minimum of three bedrooms, three bathrooms, and separate living quarters for a housekeeper. Plus, the couple wanted to complete the entire sale in only two days.
After Lindsay met with the couple, though, a sale never followed. Instead, the 24-year-old was discovered dead in an upstairs bedroom of the $964,000 property. She had been stabbed dozens of times.
It has now been over 16 years since Lindsay’s life was tragically taken from her, and the crime has remained unsolved. Still, her father, Jeff Buziak, has refused to give up searching.
“I am not going to let her down. The only way I’m going to stop right now finding out who killed her is to die myself, and I’ll be dying trying, I’ll guarantee you that,” Jeff told Dateline.
Most recently, in 2022, Jeff sought out a private research and investigation firm for help getting answers in the brutal murder of his daughter– who he described as a “spectacular” woman who made friends everywhere she went.
Much of the leads regarding Lindsay’s last day alive were provided by her boyfriend, Jason, who lived with her at the time.
Jason was in the same field, with his own real estate license and working as a mortgage broker. And following the launch of the murder investigation, he told police that on February 2, he went to a local restaurant for lunch with Lindsay.
But then, the pair separated for work. While he went to a local auto detailing shop to drop off paperwork, Lindsay traveled to the Saanich home in order to meet the interested couple.
Jason was then caught on surveillance footage at about 5:30 p.m., at which point he got into his car with a friend and began traveling to Lindsay’s showing. At the very same time, witnesses in Saanich reported spotting Lindsay as she greeted the couple outside the listed property.
According to Saanich Police Detective Sergeant Chris Horsley, the witnesses claimed that Lindsay appeared to be meeting the couple for the first time with a handshake.
“So we’re quite satisfied that the people who showed up were not known to Lindsay,” Horsley said.
By 5:38 p.m., Jason texted Lindsay to let her know that he was only “a couple of minutes away.” His girlfriend never opened that text, though.
Three minutes later, Jason also claimed that Lindsay had placed an outgoing call. Although, authorities suggested the call may have been due to a “pocket dial” since Lindsay had her Blackberry in her pocket during the murder.
Jason ultimately arrived at the property at about 5:45 p.m. He did not immediately go inside, though, because he realized there were a few people in the home’s entranceway. He believed his girlfriend was busy talking to her new clients, so he opted to wait in the car nearby.
But, after a while, Jason started to grow concerned after his girlfriend never answered any of the text messages.
“When I texted her, ‘Are you okay?’ and I didn’t get a text back, that’s what really worried me,” he recalled.
So, Jason ultimately approached the front door and realized it had been locked. At that point, he phoned the police at 6:05 p.m. before lifting his friend over a fence and into the backyard of the property.
Jason’s friend was able to enter the home through another door before letting him inside. Then, after walking upstairs, Jason found his girlfriend’s body.
“She was just lying on her back, you know, not moving, nothing. So, I went straight to her. Try to give her CPR. I felt her skin. It was– she was already passed away,” he said.
According to Rob McColl, the inspector who led the investigation, Lindsay’s murder “shocked” the community of Saanich– a quiet area that only sees about one homicide per year.
Once authorities launched an investigation, investigators believed that the couple of supposed interested homebuyers might have been responsible for Lindsay’s death. In fact, it was suggested that the couple might have even been hired to kill the 24-year-old.
Ascertaining the couple’s identities, though, was far from easy. The female buyer was described by neighborhood witnesses as a Caucasian woman between the ages of 35 and 40. She reportedly wore a black and white dress with pink or red on it and had short blonde hair.
The male buyer was described as a Caucasian, well-dressed man who stood about six feet tall and had dark hair.
According to Jeff, his daughter told him that the couple spoke English but had an accent. She described the couple’s accent as “kind of Spanish but not really.”
Investigators did learn that the couple used a burner phone to call Lindsay– which was bought at a convenience store in Vancouver three to six weeks prior to the murder. But, the phone was registered under a fake name, and it was only activated within 48 hours before the brutal crime.
Upon inspection of the crime scene, authorities found few forensic clues because the property had been cleaned right before the showing. They also discovered no indication of assault or robbery. This led investigators to believe that Lindsay had been specifically targeted.
Still, with few leads to go on, authorities began to question the men who had been in Lindsay’s life.
According to Jeff, his daughter was considering breaking up with Jason. In fact, about six weeks before her murder, Lindsay reportedly visited his home and, while in tears, told Jeff that she “made a mistake.”
Jason maintained that was not the case, though, and claimed he and Lindsey were a happy couple.
“I love Lindsay. I think about her every day. I want this case solved as fast as possible. I had nothing to do with it,” he said.
Jason was ultimately cleared by police approximately one year after Lindsay’s death since no evidence that could connect him to the murder was ever found.
Matt MacDuff, Lindsay’s ex-boyfriend, was also looked into by investigators. The pair dated between 2001 and 2006.
It was discovered that the pair had not spoken in months, though. Moreover, Matt maintained he had nothing to do with the crime, and investigators found no evidence to prove otherwise.
So, after exhausting Lindsay’s past partners as potential leads, investigators were forced to consider other circumstances. They considered that the 24-year-old might have seen or heard something that made her a target– since, while investigators did not believe Lindsay was involved in any illegal activity, they claimed there had been “an element of people she associated with that were involved in crime.”
Although, investigators never found any evidence to support that theory either. And over 16 years later, Lindsay’s killer remains elusive, and her case has never been solved.
Still, her father, Jeff, refuses to stop until the truth comes out.
“Solving this case means justice for Lindsay, everyone who loved her, and women who are victims of violence everywhere.”
