Nearly three decades after Kristin Smart vanished, investigators have served a search warrant at the home of her killer's mother, as the search continues for the remains of the late Cal Poly student. The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office returned to the Arroyo Grande property on East Branch Street on Wednesday, three years after scientists reported detecting potential signs of human decomposition there.
The home belongs to Susan Flores, mother of Paul Flores, who was convicted in 2022 of killing Smart in 1996. He was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison in 2023. Smart was legally declared dead in 2002, but her body has never been found despite previous searches of multiple family properties.
Susan Flores has not been charged in connection with Smart's murder. However, her property drew renewed attention after a team of scientists using soil vapour testing detected compounds consistent with human decomposition in her yard, according to the Los Angeles Times. It is unclear if those findings led to the latest warrant. The sheriff's office said the search was part of the ongoing effort to find Smart's remains, adding, 'The Sheriff's Office remains committed to bringing Kristin home to her family.'
Smart, 19, disappeared from California Polytechnic State University during Memorial Day weekend in 1996. Prosecutors said Paul Flores killed her during an attempted rape after an off-campus party. The case remained cold for years until the podcast 'Your Own Backyard' generated new leads. In 2021, Paul Flores and his father, Ruben Flores, were arrested. Ruben Flores was acquitted of accessory charges after prosecutors alleged he helped conceal Smart's body beneath his deck.
Chris Lambert, creator of the podcast, reported the latest search and said, 'Kristin's parents have been waiting all this time to learn what happened to her remains... hopefully, every time a search like this happens, the hope is that they are going to finally recover her.' In 2024, a judge ordered Paul Flores to pay over £275,000 to Smart's family, who have said they would forgo restitution if he revealed where her body is. Flores maintains his innocence, and his attorney said the defence does not know the location of her remains.
