SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Law enforcement officials continued their search Thursday at a California residence linked to the man found guilty of murdering 19-year-old Kristin Smart nearly three decades ago.
Deputies with the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant Wednesday as part of their ongoing efforts to locate Smart’s body. The Cal Poly student vanished in 1996, and her remains have never been recovered. She was officially declared dead in 2002. Paul Flores received a conviction in October 2022 and was given a sentence of 25 years to life behind bars.
Officers conducted their search at a residence in Arroyo Grande, a central coast community, where Flores’ mother Susan Flores lives, based on property records and coverage from a podcast that has tracked the case extensively.
“The Sheriff’s Office remains committed to bringing Kristin home to her family,” officials stated. “No further information is available.”
The podcast “Your Own Backyard,” which assisted investigators by encouraging additional witnesses to come forward, broke news of the search and identified the property as belonging to Flores’ mother. Efforts to contact Susan Flores for a response Wednesday were unsuccessful.
Smart disappeared from California Polytechnic State University in May 1996 following her return from a party off campus. Legal officials claimed she died during an attempted sexual assault and that Flores, a fellow student, was the final person seen with her.
Both Flores and his father Ruben Flores faced arrest in 2021.
Prosecutors claimed Smart’s body was initially buried on Ruben Flores’ land before being relocated elsewhere. He was found not guilty of accessory charges. The property searched Wednesday differs from that location.
Paul Flores began serving his prison term in March 2023, where he has suffered physical assaults on at least two occasions.
A court decision in 2024 ordered Paul Flores to pay Smart’s family more than $350,000 to cover expenses they faced following her death.
Smart’s relatives have indicated they would waive the financial compensation if Flores revealed the location of Kristin’s body. Defense attorney Harold Mesick stated in 2024 that his legal team has no knowledge of where her remains might be. Flores continues to deny any wrongdoing.
The county prosecutor’s office confirmed Wednesday it was providing assistance to the sheriff’s department in the investigation.
“While those responsible for Kristin’s death — and those with knowledge of her whereabouts — could provide answers at any time, we remain firmly committed to using every lawful tool available to locate Kristin’s remains and to support her family until she is brought home,” District Attorney Dan Dow said in a statement.
