In a recent search of the home belonging to Susan Flores, mother of the convicted murderer Paul Flores, authorities were unable to locate the remains of Kristin Smart, the college student whose disappearance in 1996 has long remained a mystery.
Last week, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office initiated a search of Susan Flores’ residence, driven by both investigative leads and scientific data. Despite their efforts, the search concluded with no sign of Kristin Smart. Sheriff Ian Parkinson shared that their decision to focus on this location was based on credible information, yet the mission ended without the hoped-for discovery.
In a statement released on May 9, the sheriff’s office confirmed, “We did not recover Kristin Smart.” While this outcome was disappointing, they remain hopeful that any evidence gathered will prove useful in ongoing efforts. The statement continued, “Detectives will be evaluating any evidence we have recovered to aid in the investigation.”
The disappearance of Kristin Smart has haunted the community since she vanished over the Memorial Day weekend in May 1996, following an end-of-year celebration at California Polytechnic State University. The sheriff’s office emphasized its unwavering commitment to solving the case and reuniting Kristin with her family.
It is important to note that Kristin Smart is not related to Elizabeth Smart, who is known as a victims advocate.
Kristin—who has no relation to victims advocate Elizabeth Smart—disappeared over Memorial Day weekend in May 1996 after going out to celebrate an end of year party at California Polytechnic State University.
The 19-year-old was never seen again, but in the wake of her disappearance, suspicion soon fell to fellow college freshman Paul Flores, who walked Kristin home from the party that night, according to The Associated Press.
At the time, four cadaver dogs later detected the smell of human decomposition inside Paul’s vacant dorm room, according to Oxygen’s Dateline: Unforgettable, but there was not enough evidence to arrest the teen.
“This case was very challenging from the very beginning, because…the suspect Paul Flores had moved out of the dorm. The dorm room had been cleaned,” Parkinson explained at a recent May 8 press conference. “So you’re you’re missing physical evidence, and you don’t recreate that.”
Who Killed Kristin Smart?
While Paul remained the “prime suspect” for years, he wasn’t arrested until April 13, 2021, according to a statement from the sheriff’s office.
“It’s taken many years to get to this point, but as I’ve always said, it’s not what you believe, it’s what you can prove,” Parkinson said at the time of the arrest. “And we can finally say we have done that today.”
Paul’s father Ruben Flores was also arrested at the time as an accessory to murder, per the sheriff’s office, after authorities alleged that he helped his son cover up the crime.
Both men went on trial in July 2022, but while Paul was convicted of first-degree murder, his father was acquitted of the charges against him.
Prosecutors argued in court that Paul killed Kristin during an attempted rape at his dorm room and then hid the body, per The Associated Press.
They presented evidence that archaeologists discovered a casket-sized soil disturbance and the presence of human blood under the deck of Ruben’s Arroyo Grande home—but the blood sample was too degraded to extract DNA.
Kristin’s remains have never been recovered.
New Search Launched For Kristin Smart’s Remains
Despite Paul’s 2022 conviction and subsequent sentence of 25 years to life in prison, the sheriff’s office remains committed to finding Kristin.
“It wasn’t a finality for us,” Parkinson said at the May 8 press conference. “The case was not over. The reality was Kristin is still missing.”
Parkinson added that the verdict gave her family “some satisfaction,” but “peace would never be had until we’ve recovered Kristin.”
As the search continued, Parkinson said “leads and evidence” led authorities to the home of Paul’s mother Susan.
A search warrant was executed at the home on May 6 after “probable cause” was established to search the property, Parkinson said. During the latest search effort, investigators used ground penetrating radar and soil testing in an attempt to find evidence of a decomposing human body.
“We plan to be there until we can walk away,” Parkinson said, “either finding Kristin or all the evidence we can find and moving to the next step.”
The following day, the sheriff’s office announced the search had been completed without the recovery of Kristin’s remains.
“No further information is available,” the sheriff’s office said in the May 9 statement. “At this time, the Sheriff’s Office will not be making any additional comments or providing any further updates regarding this investigation.”
For now, the mission to find Kristin remains ongoing.