Nearly 30 years after Kristin Smart vanished, investigators have served a search warrant at the home of her killer’s mother, as the search for the late Cal Poly student’s remains continues. The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office returned to the Arroyo Grande property on East Branch Street on Wednesday, three years after scientists detected potential signs of human decomposition there.
The home belongs to Susan Flores, mother of Paul Flores, who was convicted in 2022 of murdering Smart in 1996. He was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison in 2023. Smart was declared dead in 2002, but her body has never been found, despite previous searches of multiple family properties.
Susan Flores has never been charged in connection with the 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, the Los Angeles Times reported. It is unclear whether those findings led to the recent warrant.
“The Sheriff’s Office remains committed to bringing Kristin home to her family,” the agency said in a statement, adding that no further information is available. Chris Lambert, creator of the Your Own Backyard podcast that helped crack the case, 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 2021, investigators arrested Paul Flores and his father, Ruben Flores. The same scientific team had searched under Ruben Flores’ deck, uncovering a soil disturbance the size of a casket and traces of human blood, but DNA could not be extracted. Ruben Flores was acquitted of accessory charges. Paul Flores maintains his innocence; his attorney said the defence does not know where her remains are.
District Attorney Dan Dow said his office continues to work with investigators to locate Smart’s remains. “While those responsible for Kristin’s death… could provide answers at any time, we remain firmly committed to using every lawful tool available to locate Kristin’s remains,” he said.
