Apr 26/2022 Lindsay Buziak Murder and Detective Sgt. Chris Horsley
REVIEW FEBRUARY 2/2009
Police poured over Buziak’s life — interviewing her friends, previous boyfriends, family and work colleagues. To date, detectives have interviewed 1471 people, said Insp. Rob McColl head of the major crime unit. Some interviews were conducted in BC., 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”
Though my reservoir of trust in the Saanich Police Department has waned over the years,
I still cling to the hope that arrests will come one day and that the people who conspired to murder Lindsay Buziak will be held accountable. Like so many others I am still stymied by the 2009 announcement that Jason Zailo was cleared and NOT considered a suspect in the case. All experienced detectives know that the first rule of order – everyone and all remain suspects until the t’s are crossed and the i’s are dotted. Shocking indeed, for how often does a police department clear a suspect before they have iron-clad proof of that person’s innocence, and clearly in this case there is sufficient circumstantial evidence to suggest that Jason Zailo may have played a part in his girlfriend’s murder. Not only did the Saanich Police clear Mr. Zailo, in late 2009, they cleared his entire family just a few days after the Dateline show aired in Sept/2010. How can the police clear Jason Zailo when his stories are so full of holes?
Sgt. Dean Jantzen, Sgt. Chris Horsley, Sgt. John Price, Sgt. Derek Egan, and Inspector Rob McColl have all spoken publicly about the Buziak murder over the years.
Seemingly though, all the misleading press statements have come from Detective Sgt. Chris Horsley. In fairness, his motives could be perfectly innocent, even strategic perhaps. However, putting out false information to the public is disingenuous and it leaves the public more confused than ever. Every step of the way throughout this investigation there seems to be an attempt to re-direct and disregard legitimate leads that people have brought forward. In order to resolve this matter, we need to present questions to Sgt. Chris Horsley and hopefully he will be able to clear things up for us.
After a distinguished 25-year career with the Saanich Police Department Sgt. Chris Horsley retired at the end of February, so without a doubt, being the honorable man that he is he will most likely find the time to answer our questions. If he can answer the questions to our satisfaction, then and only then, will we be able to put this to rest and conclude that Jason Zailo is innocent of having anything to do with his girlfriend’s murder. And what a blessing that would be.
CONflicting STATEMENTS SGT. CHRIS HORSLEY MADE TO THE PRESS
DETECTIVE Sgt. Chris Horsley stated, “We locked down the house immediately. Mr. Zailo and his friend were both taken into custody. Mr. Zailo and his friend were under intense scrutiny and Mr. Zailo was co-operative with police. Based on forensic evidence, timeline of communications, witness testimony, video surveillance, we know Jason is not the killer. Was he perhaps somehow involved in the planning? Well he successfully passed a polygraph and he successfully took part in all these interviews with us. So at this time he is not considered a suspect. The evidence supports Jason’s version of events”
DETECTIVE SGT. CHRIS HORSLEY STATED, “Investigators have ruled out Zailo as a suspect. There are video surveillance, cell phone records, and other investigative DETAILS to back that up”. Horsley said the brutal nature of the slaying might have been intended to make it APPEAR to be a crime of passion or to send a message to someone.
Detective Sgt. Chris Horsley DISMISSED a media report dated June 9/2010, stating that Buziak expressed trepidation at the showing. Detective Sgt. Chris Horsley told the press that while Buziak felt the showing was unusual because she was not the listing agent, she wasn’t apprehensive about it.
DETECTIVE SGT. CHRIS HORSLEY STATED, “She told Jason ‘They’re here,'” said Horsley. “But at no time did she say anything that would be cause for warning — ‘I’m worried,’ ‘I’m scared,’ ‘These people creep me out.” At 5:38, Jason Zailo texts “just a couple of minutes away. That text was never open”
Detective Sgt. Chris Horsley STATED, “Zailo went to the house because he had real estate documents for her to sign”. He later retracted that statement, saying “Mr. Zailo was going to the house because his girlfriend was apprehensive about meeting the couple alone.” On July 14th 2021, the Saanich Police website read, “At approximately 5:30 pm Lindsay met the unknown female and male at the home on DeSousa. Lindsay advised friends and family that she was nervous about the showing and therefore her boyfriend arranged to attend the house shortly after her”.
DETECTIVE SGT. CHRIS HORSLEY STATED, “Jason actually saw the couple, a Caucasian man and a blonde woman wearing a colorful dress. The door was open and the witnesses actually observed the male suspect exiting the house. The killer’s were actually about to walk out the front door and leave, and Jason turned into the cul-de-sac and interrupted them leaving. The couple turned around and closed the door. If Jason had been 5 seconds later he would have driven right into the suspects walking out in the driveway. Jason’s assumption is these are the clients and the showing is just starting as the door closes. He then parks outside because he is waiting for the showing to end”.
DETECTIVE SGT. CHRIS HORSLEY STATED, “Lindsay reached out to Erickson Delalcazar through facebook and by telephone during the time she was visiting her father in Calgary. However there is no evidence to show that she ever made contact with him”. A few years later Sgt. Horsley made a statement that Lindsay had tried to contact “a relative” of Erickson Delalcazar’s. However, there is no evidence to support that Lindsay ever made contact or that she visited Erickson while in Calgary.
DETECTIVE SGT. CHRIS HORSLEY STATED, on the Dateline show “The last text Jason sent Lindsay was at 5:38, just a couple of minutes away”. That text was never opened. “The thing that really set the alarm bells off for Mr. Zailo was that the front door was locked and in the real estate business as Mr. Zailo is a realtor, he knew that is something that is simply not done. Once he attempted entry and the door was locked that was the cause for the initial 911 call”.
DETECTIVE SGT. CHRIS HORSLEY STATED, there were two independent witnesses that were able to describe the couple that greeted Lindsay in the driveway, but only one witness that was able to describe the dress the woman was wearing.
DETECTIVE SGT. CHRIS HORSLEY STATED, “What we can say is that people lost a lot of money and the people that lost the drugs know that someone spoke to the police,” said Horsley. “A witch hunt occurred where people were being questioned, people were being pulled out of their beds in the middle of the night and asked “Who have you spoken to? because they know someone spoke to the police.”
DETECTIVE SGT. CHRIS HORSLEY STATED, “People posting false allegations, misinformation and really a bunch of nonsense on the internet does not help,” says S/Sgt. Chris Horsley of the Saanich Police Department. “Every hour we spend chasing down some nonsense from the internet is an hour we’re not spending actually trying to find the real people responsible.”
QUESTIONS FOR DETECTIVE SGT. CHRIS HORSLEY
DETECTIVE HORSLEY, Jason Zailo called Laurie Lidstone to get the code for the garage door. She did not know the code. He then called his mother to ask if she had the code. She did not. He made that call about at appx. 6:00. Wasn’t that the last time Jason spoke to his mother until they met at the police station an hour or so later? When Shirley hung up from her call with Jason she immediately made a call to a friend to get the name of a good lawyer her friend knew personally. She made this call prior to Jason’s 1st call to 911 at 6:05. A few minutes later Jason entered the home and found Lindsay lying in a pool of blood in the upstairs master bedroom. He made a 2nd call to 911 at appx. 6:12.
WHY WOULD SHIRLEY BE IN SUCH A PANIC TO CALL A LAWYER BEFORE SHE EVEN KNEW THAT A CRIME HAD BEEN COMMITTED.
Isn’t it possible Shirley had instructed Jason not to go to the house – telling him that Lindsay would be fine and not to worry? Isn’t it possible that when Shirley got the call from Jason to get the garage door code, she panicked – thinking oh my god he went to the house and he’s not supposed to be there? Is that why she raced over to the DeSousa property so quickly after that call? Did she think Jason would need a lawyer because he was going to be found at the scene of a crime.
DETECTIVE HORSLEY, you state that Mr. Zailo successfully passed a polygraph test, and that he successfully took part in all your interviews. I’d be interested to know what kind of questions were posed to Mr. Zailo during the successful polygraph and during these successful interviews you speak of? Evidence has shown that Jason Zailo has lied on numerous occasions over the years, and if you did not realize it at the time of the interviews surely you know it now. If Jason lied during the interviews how can you still today consider your interviews with him successful? Just how many times did Jason have to lie before you realized he was not a reliable source of information and that you had been played? Is he still considered NOT A SUSPECT today?
DETECTIVE HORSLEY, you state that Lindsay did not express trepidation at the showing, and that she was not apprehensive about it. Why is it then, that Lindsay’s friends say otherwise. Not only her friends, but her co-workers to whom she expressed her concerns to when stopping by the Re/Max office prior to meeting Jason for lunch at Sauce. The realtors and the receptionist in her office all confirm that Lindsay was very worried about the showing. If you would like their names I can give them to you. In 2021, the Saanich Police website finally made a statement saying that Lindsay had advised friends and family of her concerns, contrary to what you told the media.
DETECTIVE HORSLEY, you made a statement to the press saying that Mr. Zailo was going to the DeSousa house because he had real estate documents for Lindsay to sign? A few years later you retracted that statement and said Jason was going to the house because Lindsay was worried about the showing, and that he had promised he would be there for her. Just when did you realize that there was no real estate papers to for Lindsay to sign? Just in case I am wrong, though I am confident that I am not, please give us the property address so we cross-reference this transaction.
DETECTIVE HORSLEY, on the Dateline Show which aired September 17/2010, the host Josh Markiewicz asked Jason Zailo, “what did you see when you arrived at the 1702 DeSousa murder house”? Jason replied, “I saw shadows through the frosted glass in the front door”. Josh responds, “how many people did you see?” Jason hesitated, then replied, “I saw two people”. Josh responds, “outlines of people in the glass”? Jason responds “yes”
DETECTIVE HORSLEY, on the Dateline show Josh Markiewicz said to Jason Zailo, “there are people out there that say Lindsay was getting ready to pull the plug and move on. Is there any truth to that?” Jason responded, “there is none, there is no truth to that”.
Detective Horsley, you know that Jason lied to Josh Markiewicz yet after all these years you continue to support Jason Zailo’s innocence.
DETECTIVE HORSLEY, on the Dateline show Jason’s mother told Josh Markiewicz that Lindsay told her that she was afraid of her ex-boyfriend Matt. Josh asked Shirley “what did Lindsay tell you?” Shirley responded, “I can’t really remember, but she said she didn’t like the way Matt had treated her during their relationship”.
Detective Horsley, you know that Shirley Zailo lied to Josh Markiewicz yet after all these years you continue to support the Zailo family.
DETECTIVE HORSLEY, on the Dateline show you said that Jason’s last text to Lindsay was at 5:38 when he texted her to say, “I’m on my way”. That text was never opened. Why is it that Jason Zailo says differently? Josh Markiewicz said that after 10 minutes of Jason being parked on Torquay Jason got a feeling something was wrong and texted her, Jason told Josh, “I texted her, “are you okay and I didn’t get a text back, that really worried me.” That would have put Jason’s last text to Lindsay at shortly after 6:00?
DETECTIVE hORSLEY, why did you later say “Jason actually saw the couple, a Caucasian man and a blonde woman wearing a colorful dress. The door was open and the witnesses actually observed the male suspect exiting the house”. The killer’s were actually about to walk out the front door and leave, and Jason turned into the cul-de-sac and interrupted them leaving. The couple turned around and closed the door. If Jason had been 5 seconds later he would have driven right into the suspects walking out in the driveway. Jason’s assumption is these are the clients and the showing is just starting as the door closes. He then parks outside because he is waiting for the showing to end”.
DETECTIVE HORSLEY, on the Dateline Show which aired Sept 17/2010 you said, “we actually had one witness who was able to describe the dress the woman was wearing”.
Well sir, if your one witness is Jason Zailo, then in fact, there may have been no colorful dress at all?
DETECTIVE HORSLEY, a year after Lindsay’s murder her family wanted to put up a reward. The Saanich Police discouraged them siting it would be overwhelming and wasn’t necessary at this time. This police statement led the family & the public to believe that the police were close to making arrests.
Yet here we are 15 years later with no arrests, and whatever evidence you thought you had back then you clearly didn’t
DETECTIVE HORSLEY, In a statement to the Times Colonist the Saanich Police said they waited one year after the killing to release the sketch, saying they hoped that renewed media interest in the case would maximize public exposure.
Were you not feeling confident that the composite drawing was an accurate description of the woman who Lindsay met at the house? Is that why you held it back for nearly a year?
DETECTIVE HORSLEY, when the composite drawing of the woman was released to the press, the article said, “do you know this woman? “There are 2 woman that I confirmed with, that heeded the plea and picked up the phone. They wanted to do anything they could to help solve a now 2 year old murder. They harbored no grudge against Ms. Zailo; in fact, neither of them had seen her for over 2 years.
In opening their morning Times Colonist, a picture stared at them, of a woman they knew very well, having had worked closely beside her for a long time. These woman have no vendetta against Ms. Zailo; they were offering help, as requested by SPD. In calling, they were asked “who do think the woman looks like?” They answered “‘Shirley Zailo “. They were told ” thank you for calling…..”.
I’m just wondering Sgt. Horsley, how many other people contacted the Saanich Police and told them the same thing? And if there were others, did they get the “thanks but no thanks” response too?
Robert Gordon, a criminologist at Simon Fraser University told the Times Colonist that police usually release a sketch as quickly as possible in criminal investigations. “If they’ve been sitting on the sketch all this time – there is some doubt that has to be cast over the value of the image”.
DETECTIVE HORSLEY, why would Jason assume that the showing was just starting? Jason had talked to Lindsay on the phone at 5:30 when he left SHC. He called her to ask for directions to the house. She said, “I’ve got to go, the Mexican’s are here”. (Jason’s words on Dateline). If the Mexicans were there at 5:30 wouldn’t that be when the showing started? And I hardly suspect they stood out in the cold of night for the next 15 minutes. If Jason saw the couple go back into the house as you say, wouldn’t he have wondered why he didn’t see Lindsay at that same time? Shouldn’t that have been the time for serious worry?
DETECTIVE HORSLEY, why is it that after the murder Jason and Cohen both told the same story, that as they turned into the cul-de-sac they saw shadows through the frosted glass in the front door? Cohen’s story has never changed, and as recently as a few months ago Cohen insisted they they never saw anyone standing outside the front door of DeSousa.
DETECTIVE HORSLEY, just how can you be so sure that the couple was planning on leaving out the front door? The police did state that they would have likely been covered in blood, so it seems far more likely that their plan was to leave out the back door. How can you be so sure that the killers didn’t open the door as a warning signal to Jason that they were leaving out the back. It makes far more sense than them leaving through the front covered in blood.
DETECTIVE HORSLEY, why is it that Jason felt the need to call 911 when he found the front door locked? It hardly seems a reason to panic. Did you just take Jason’s word for it that realtors don’t lock doors while they are inside, or did you take further steps to investigate. Did you ask other realtors their opinion on a locked door? Did you contact the real estate board to inquire there? I don’t personally see a locked door being a serious concern. We know Jason did not see the couple leave – because they exited out the back patio door while he parked on DeSousa. And just maybe Jason knew that.
DETECTIVE HORSLEY, It is not uncommon when a buyer leaves a home after a showing, that a realtor, especially a woman, will lock the door while they go around turning out all the lights and making sure the windows and doors are secured. It’s very possible too, that after locking up Lindsay had gone to use the washroom. NO, a locked door is not a reason to call 911.
DETECTIVE HORSLEY, Jason lied to you when he said he was going to DeSousa because he had real estate documents for Lindsay to sign. When you learned that he had lied to you, did you stop to consider that he was not a credible person, and that his real motive for going to SHC that evening may have been to create a timeline and to establish an airtight alibi for himself? My sources tell me that Jason was at SHC having beers with the guys, acting as if he was in no hurry to go anywhere. And this is certainly not the behavior of a boyfriend who is concerned about his girlfriend’s well being.
Detective Horsley, did you consider that Jason’s reason for asking a friend to accompany him that evening was so he would have a witness to every move he made? That his call to Lindsay at 5:30 to ask for directions, his texts to Lindsay on route & his texts to her while he was sitting in front of the house doing nothing were all part of his plan? Detective Horsley, can you tell us why the video surveillance camera shows Jason Zailo going to the passenger side of the vehicle then turning, looking up at the camera, then going back to the driver’s side of the vehicle?
Was Jason on a date with Cohen where he had to accompany him to the passenger side of the vehicle? Was his remote control not working? Did he have to open Cohen’s door manually? And why did he open the passenger side rear door and put something in. Couldn’t he have put whatever it was on the backseat of the driver’s side? Jason was seen on video leaving SHC Autographx just after 5:30, can you please tell us why there has never been video surveillance showing Jason’s arrival time at SHC?
DETECTIVE HORSLEY, according to police notes obtained by the Capital News Daily, it was stated that when Jason returned home from playing hockey on the Friday night before Lindsay’s murder that Zailo reminded Buziak that she had received a similar call from a woman about a month earlier, and that the client’s $900,000 budget had been almost identical. But in that case, the mysterious call had ultimately yielded a sale. There’s no indication the two calls are connected, and Zailo appears to have brought it up only to reassure Buziak”.
DETECTIVE HORSLEY, Lindsay did sell a home in December to a woman named Louise, however the sale price was in the $600 range. Louise was no mystery caller as Lindsay had met Louise at an Open House a few months earlier. Did the police ever ask Jason to see the Contract of Purchase and Sale for this mystery caller he was referring to? My source tells me there was no mysterious call that had yielded a sale a month earlier in the $900K range? Please send this Contract of Purchase and Sale to me too.
DETECTIVE HORSLEY, according to police notes obtained by the Capital News Daily, Zailo tried to find the address using his vehicle’s navigation system, but it didn’t work, so he called Lindsay to ask for directions. The buyers had apparently just arrived at the house and Lindsay had to cut the conversation short: “Oh, I’ve got to go, the Mexicans are here.” Zailo then told her to text him the address. The text came soon after, and at 5:38 Zailo texted Buziak to let her know he was on his way. Why do the police notes not say, “Oh, I’ve got to go, the Mexicans are here? After all, those were the exact words Jason used on Dateline.
DETECTIVE HORSLEY, what is most confusing is that the police notes also say that Lindsay called Jason while he was at SHC to tell him she was on her way to Gordon Head. Why didn’t Jason ask Lindsay for directions to the house during that phone call? Then he wouldn’t have had to make a 2nd call to Lindsay to ask for directions. Detective Horsley, can you please tell us what time Jason called his brother Ryan to ask for directions? The call had to be after Jason hung up the phone with Lindsay, which puts the time shortly after 5:30 and prior to Lindsay texting him the directions.
This would put Jason’s call to his brother between 5:32 and 5:36. Jason texted Lindsay at 5:38 to say he was on his way as she had texted him the directions. If Jason’s call to his brother did not happen in this time frame then something is very off. Can you also tell us why Jason called Ryan for directions rather than his mother? His mother had been in the DeSousa house previously, she was the one who would know how to get there? Had Ryan been in the DeSousa house previous to that night? And Detective Horsley, did Jason not think to ask Lindsay for directions while they were having lunch at Sauce just two hour earlier?
THIS STORY STINKS! IT HAS ALL THE MARKINGS OF SOMEONE TRYING TO CREATE A TIMELINE/ALIBI.
DETECTIVE HORSLEY, You say that a witch hunt occurred where people were being questioned, people were being pulled out of their beds in the middle of the night and asked “Who have you spoken to? because they know someone spoke to the police.” If this is true, then does this not clearly tell us that after the Calgary Drug Bust went down in January 2008, the cartel did not immediately suspect that Lindsay was the informant? If they had they would not have been waking people up in their beds. And why shortly after Lindsay’s murder did Ziggy call a meeting of his peers. A meeting to protect the Zailos from Vid? Sounds to me like Vid was out for blood when he found out that Lindsay wasn’t the one who ratted them out, that it was someone else close to Lindsay.
DETECTIVE HORSLEY, you state that there were two independent witnesses that were able to describe the couple who met with Lindsay. We know that one of those witnesses was Roland, who was in his work van on his way home from work when he drove by and saw Lindsay greeting the couple in the driveway. Roland was able to describe the man but not the woman. This leads me to believe that the man was standing on the Torquay roadside while the woman was standing on the inside of him out of full view.
DETECTIVE HORSLEY, is there really a 2nd witness who gave a detailed description of what the woman was wearing that evening? Or is Jason the only one who gave the police a description of the dress the woman was wearing that night? If Jason actually saw the woman coming out the front door, and the porch light was on at that time, then yes it makes sense he was the one to give the description. However, if Cohen Oatman is telling the truth, and him and Jason only saw shadows through the frosted glass in the front door, then we don’t have an accurate description of what the woman was wearing at all. Let’s hope the Saanich Police have a 2nd witness who was able to describe the dress and that they are not relying on Jason’s say so.
DETECTIVE HORSLEY, shortly after Lindsay’s murder Joe Desousa said to someone, “the little bitch got what she deserved.” The man Joe said this to was a reputable businessman who owned a heating/plumbing store in Victoria. You were given Shawn’s name in 2011, the question is, did you follow up and speak with Shawn, or did you ignore this important lead. Why in the world would Joe say such a horrible thing about a young girl who had just been murdered in his home? A young girl he did not know personally. Joe’s friend Paul Bergshoeff is the only person Joe could have heard talk like that from, and if not Joe, then his partner Shirley Zailo. Detective Horsley, did you speak with Joe DeSousa about this? And did you speak with Shawn after you were given his name? Surely you would have wanted to find out why Joe thought the little bitch got what she deserved?
DETECTIVE HORSLEY, in 2012 there was a person who contacted the Saanich Police with information they felt could seriously be of help in Lindsay Buziak’s murder investigation. You were the cop that took that call, in fact, you were the one that did the 2-hour interview with this woman. The detailed information she came forward with was all about the neighbor Terry Shein who lived directly behind the murder house. This person knew every move the neighbor made that night and found his actions/behavior very suspicious. This was a lead that was certainly worth following up on don’t you think?
DETECTIVE HORSLEY, this woman had enough reason to believe that something was not right, lived with the guilt of not coming forward sooner – then finally decided to contact the Saanich Police. Did you take this person seriously? Did you investigate further? Did you interview the neighbor? Did you interview his wife? Did you interview his children? Did you attempt to find out if the neighbor was a friend of Jason Zailos? Was he a friend of Joe DeSousa’s? Detective Horsley, did you follow up on this lead right away or did you close the file and label it “unfounded allegations”. I refer you to the page below.
DETECTIVE HORSLEY, shouldn’t “everyone” living at 4335 Torquay have been interviewed? I mean, wouldn’t that property have been considered part of the crime scene, given that the exit path was known and led directly into that side driveway space near 4335 Torquay. Surely the police would have wanted to know everyone’s timelines that day and if they’d seen a car parked near there? Or saw anything else, given that the back of 1702 De Sousa was right in the face of their side yard? Seemingly, someone wanting a very clean getaway and most likely parked a vehicle right there on or near 4335’s side driveway. In fact, the murder house may have very well been picked for that feature. Through the fence into a getaway vehicle, all under the cover of bushes, with no one able to see a thing. Except for the car leaving, which would have been visible to someone sitting in a car on Torquay, directly to the side of 1702 De Sousa.
DETECTIVE HORSLEY, just who was it that Lindsay tried to contact while she was in Calgary. First you claim it was Erickson Delalcazar, then you do an about turn and say it was a relative of Erickson’s. You have no evidence that Lindsay ever made contact with Erickson or a relative, so why are the Saanich Police so insistent on trying to prove that Lindsay met with Erickson in Calgary? Even if Lindsay did meet with Erickson, so what. He was a friends of Lindsay’s ex-boyfriend Matt so if they did get together for a drink/visit how would that make a difference. The fact is, if people were being woken up in their beds, it means the cartel was not looking for Lindsay after the drug bust, which means she did not see anything in Calgary that would have them believing Lindsay was the one who ratted them out.
DETECTIVE HORSLEY, you state that there are people posting misinformation and false information on web sites and you are right, there were some sites where that appeared to be happening. But are you not doing the same thing with all of the statements you have made over the years? Crime Watch Daily interviews, CHEK News interviews, The Times Colonist etc?
Jason Zailo is the source for much of what we know about the killing, and to date Detective Sgt. Chris Horsley has been Jason’s strongest advocate.
DETECTIVE HORSLEY, you may respond to the questions at the email address posted below. Certainly everyone will be anxious to hear your answers. With your help we will finally be able to clear up all these discrepancies.
EMAIL ADDRESS: murderondesousa@gmail.com