Authorities in California have concluded a search of a property connected to convicted murderer Paul Flores, who is linked to the long-unsolved disappearance of Kristin Smart. Although they did not find her remains, the investigation continues with the analysis of evidence gathered from the site.
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office announced on Saturday that the search at a residence on East Branch Street in Arroyo Grande had been completed. This property has ties to Smart’s 1996 disappearance.
“We did not recover Kristin Smart,” the sheriff’s office stated. “Our detectives are currently evaluating the evidence we’ve collected to further assist the investigation. Our commitment to finding Kristin and reuniting her with her family remains unwavering.”
Authorities have indicated that no further information will be released at this time.
Paul Flores was convicted of murdering Kristin Smart, a college student who disappeared in California in 1996.
This update follows an earlier announcement by officials, who said investigators had discovered evidence at the site that suggested the potential presence of human remains. The property is linked to Paul Flores’ mother, Susan Flores.
San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson said during a news conference Friday that soil testing indicated compounds consistent with a decomposing human body.
“We believe that… human remains were there at one time, or still there,” Parkinson said. “We think there’s evidence to support human remains.”
Investigators with the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office can be seen searching a home connected to Kristin Smart’s disappearance. (San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office)
“I’m not going to go into the details, other than just to say with soil tests, it’s about the compounds in the soil that are related to a human, decomposing body,” he added.
The renewed search effort marked the latest development in the nearly three-decade-old case that has gripped California’s Central Coast.
Kristin Smart was a 19-year-old student at California Polytechnic State University when she disappeared in May 1996 after attending an off-campus party. Prosecutors later said Paul Flores killed her during an attempted rape in his dorm room.
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement investigators executed a search warrant at a home connected to the Kristin Smart disappearance. (San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office)
Paul Flores, now 49, was convicted of first-degree murder in 2022 and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison, but Smart’s body has never been found.
San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow previously said his office remains committed to locating Smart’s remains, adding that authorities will continue using every lawful tool available to bring answers to her family.
Despite the latest search yielding no confirmed remains, authorities say they remain committed to finding Smart and bringing her home to her family.
