Decades-Long Kristin Smart Search Sees Breakthrough

Investigators announced a significant development in the Kristin Smart case, reporting "positive results" from forensic testing at the Arroyo Grande home of Paul Flores' mother. The testing is consistent with human remains, marking a crucial step in the decades-long search for the Stockton college student who vanished in 1996. San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson stated the findings were "fruitful" but cautioned that Smart's body has not been recovered.

The renewed search, executed nearly 30 years after Smart's disappearance, was initiated due to newly developed evidence meeting the legal standard for a fresh warrant. Advanced forensic tools, including ground-penetrating radar and soil analysis, were employed at the East Branch Street property. Investigators have identified underground anomalies and are focusing on uncovering their nature. This excavation marks one of the first times the backyard of Susan Flores' property has been thoroughly searched.

Kristin Smart, a 19-year-old Cal Poly freshman, disappeared on May 25, 1996, after attending an off-campus party. She was last seen with fellow student Paul Flores, who was later convicted of first-degree murder in 2022. Prosecutors argued Flores killed Smart during an attempted rape. Her body has never been found, and Flores is serving a sentence of 25 years to life. His father, Ruben Flores, was acquitted of charges related to concealing Smart's body. Investigators now believe Smart's remains may have been moved multiple times.