ARROYO GRANDE, Calif. (Court TV) — Thirty years after the murder of Cal Poly freshman Kristin Smart, investigators have served a new search warrant in the case.
Kristin Smart (family photo)
Smart was 19 years old when she was reported missing in May 1996. Her disappearance and presumed killing remained unsolved for 25 years until Paul Flores, 49, the last person to have been seen with her, was arrested in 2021. Flores was convicted of murder in October 2022 and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison in March 2023.
In a news release, the San Luis County Sheriff’s Office said on Wednesday that it was “conducting an additional investigation” at the property where Flores once lived. Deputies said the activity was the result of a search warrant related to Kristin Smart’s disappearance, but did not release any further details.
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Smart’s remains have never been found; she was declared legally dead in 2002. As part of their statement, the San Luis County Sheriff’s Office said it “remains committed to bringing Kristin home to her family.”
“Since the jury convicted Paul Flores for the murder of Kristin Smart, the District Attorney’s Office has continued working in coordination with the Sheriff’s Office to fulfill our shared commitment to the Smart family and this community: to bring Kristin home,” San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow said in a statement on Wednesday. “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.”
At trial, prosecutors said that Flores killed Smart during an attempted rape on May 25, 1996, after he walked Smart home following an off-campus party that evening. Flores’ father was charged with being an accessory to the crime after investigators said he helped to dispose of Smart’s body; he was acquitted of those charges.
Flores is now being held at the California State Prison in Corcoran, according to Department of Corrections records. He was previously held at Pleasant Valley State Prison, where he was attacked in 2023.
Earlier this year, the California Supreme Court denied a petition from Flores to overturn his conviction; he has no further direct appeals remaining.
