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.
San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office officials returned to the Arroyo Grande property on East Branch Street on Wednesday to execute the warrant, three years after scientists detected potential remains using soil vapour testing. 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 and has been attacked twice while incarcerated.
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 the murder. The recent search is part of the ongoing effort to locate Smart's remains, though few details have been released.
Smart was 19 when she 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 until renewed attention, partly due to the podcast 'Your Own Backyard', led to new evidence. In 2021, Paul Flores and his father, Ruben Flores, were arrested. Ruben Flores was acquitted of accessory charges after prosecutors alleged he helped conceal the body.
Chris Lambert, creator of the podcast, reported the search and expressed hope that it might finally bring answers to Smart's family. In 2024, a judge ordered Paul Flores to pay over $350,000 to the family, who have said they would forgo restitution if he revealed the location of her remains. Flores maintains his innocence, and his attorney has said the defence does not know where the body is. The California Supreme Court recently denied Flores' petition to review his conviction.
