Kristin Smart case yields ‘positive results’ in new search for Stockton student
Clint Cole, the San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Department, and the technical experts assisting with the execution of this search. Finally, we continue to feel the tremendous support of the local community and all the people far beyond the Central Coast who provide us with great strength to continue this journey to bring Kristin home.”
More: New search at home of Paul Flores’ mother in 1996 Kristin Smart disappearance
Why are investigators searching again for Kristin Smart now?
The renewed search — nearly 30 years after Smart vanished — was prompted by newly developed evidence that met the legal standard for a fresh warrant, officials said.
“The detectives obtained a search warrant based on investigative leads and evidence to return to the Branch Street address of Susan Flores,” Parkinson said.
The search has included ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and soil analysis designed to detect chemical compounds associated with human decomposition.
Parkinson emphasized how far forensic tools have advanced.
“The GPR from 30 years ago is not the GPR today,” he said. “Like everything else, the technology has advanced.”
Investigators have identified new underground anomalies during the search.
“Yes,” Parkinson said when asked if anomalies were detected. “We’re focused on those and identifying what they are.”
This marks one of the first times investigators have excavated parts of the backyard at the property, which has long been scrutinized in the case.
‘It’s hard to dismiss Kristin Smart’: Stockton teen’s story still captivates Cal Poly
What happened to Kristin Smart in 1996
Kristin Smart, a 19-year-old California Polytechnic State University freshman from Stockton, disappeared on May 25, 1996, after attending an off-campus party near campus.
She was last seen walking back toward her dorm with fellow student Paul Flores.
Flores was later convicted of first-degree murder in 2022, with prosecutors arguing he killed Smart during an attempted rape in his dorm room. Her body has never been found.
Flores is currently serving a sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
His father, Ruben Flores, was charged with helping conceal Smart’s body but was acquitted at trial.
During the search Friday, Flores drove by at 2:28 p.m. and stopped in the street to watch; Susan was not with him, according to “Your Own Backyard” podcaster Chris Lambert, who was instrumental in bringing new attention to her case years before the Floreses were arrested and ultimately helping solve it.
Friday afternoon, Lambert said investigators had backed a truck into the driveway, unloaded three shovels and carried them into Susan Flores’ backyard, which was covered by green cloth tarps.
Kristin Smart timeline: 24 years from the Cal Poly student’s disappearance to a suspect’s arrest
The unanswered question: Where is Kristin Smart?
Despite the conviction, the central mystery in the case remains unresolved: Where is Kristin Smart?
During trial proceedings, prosecutors presented evidence suggesting her body had been buried under a deck at Ruben Flores’ Arroyo Grande home before being moved.
Soil samples collected there previously tested positive for human blood, and cadaver dogs had alerted to Paul Flores’ dorm room shortly after Smart disappeared.
Investigators now believe Smart’s remains may have been moved multiple times.
“Kristin has been moved, and we don’t know how many times,” Parkinson said.
Longstanding clues resurface as Kristin Smart search intensifies
The latest search has also renewed attention on earlier claims tied to Susan Flores’ property.
A former tenant reported finding a turquoise earring in the yard months after Smart vanished — an item believed to belong to Smart but never formally logged as evidence.
The tenant also described hearing a digital watch alarm sounding daily around 4:20 a.m. from a backyard planter area.
That detail later took on new relevance when Smart’s mother said her daughter routinely set a watch alarm for that time for early morning lifeguard shifts. No watch has ever been recovered.
What happens next in Kristin Smart case
Investigators say the search could continue for days, depending on what evidence is uncovered.
“The evidence takes us to tomorrow, the next day and the next day,” Parkinson said. “We’re prepared for that.”
Authorities are still urging anyone with information about the case or the location of Kristin Smart’s remains to come forward.
She was last seen walking back toward her dorm with fellow student Paul Flores.
Flores was later convicted of first-degree murder in 2022, with prosecutors arguing he killed Smart during an attempted rape in his dorm room. Her body has never been found.
Flores is currently serving a sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
His father, Ruben Flores, was charged with helping conceal Smart’s body but was acquitted at trial.
During the search Friday, Flores drove by at 2:28 p.m. and stopped in the street to watch; Susan was not with him, according to “Your Own Backyard” podcaster Chris Lambert, who was instrumental in bringing new attention to her case years before the Floreses were arrested and ultimately helping solve it.
Friday afternoon, Lambert said investigators had backed a truck into the driveway, unloaded three shovels and carried them into Susan Flores’ backyard, which was covered by green cloth tarps.
Kristin Smart timeline: 24 years from the Cal Poly student’s disappearance to a suspect’s arrest
The unanswered question: Where is Kristin Smart?
Despite the conviction, the central mystery in the case remains unresolved: Where is Kristin Smart?
During trial proceedings, prosecutors presented evidence suggesting her body had been buried under a deck at Ruben Flores’ Arroyo Grande home before being moved.
Soil samples collected there previously tested positive for human blood, and cadaver dogs had alerted to Paul Flores’ dorm room shortly after Smart disappeared.
Investigators now believe Smart’s remains may have been moved multiple times.
“Kristin has been moved, and we don’t know how many times,” Parkinson said.
Longstanding clues resurface as Kristin Smart search intensifies
The latest search has also renewed attention on earlier claims tied to Susan Flores’ property.
A former tenant reported finding a turquoise earring in the yard months after Smart vanished — an item believed to belong to Smart but never formally logged as evidence.
The tenant also described hearing a digital watch alarm sounding daily around 4:20 a.m. from a backyard planter area.
That detail later took on new relevance when Smart’s mother said her daughter routinely set a watch alarm for that time for early morning lifeguard shifts. No watch has ever been recovered.
What happens next in Kristin Smart case
Investigators say the search could continue for days, depending on what evidence is uncovered.
“The evidence takes us to tomorrow, the next day and the next day,” Parkinson said. “We’re prepared for that.”
Authorities are still urging anyone with information about the case or the location of Kristin Smart’s remains to come forward.
News
BREAKING NEWS: After decades of speculation surrounding the Paul Flores family, forensic examinations have now uncovered evidence suggesting something decomposed beneath the property containing STRANGE DNA—and social media is abuzz with a disturbing detail
In Kristin Smart Case, Soil Suggests Human Remains Once Present in Yard A California sheriff said investigators were searching the backyard of a woman whose son was convicted of murdering Ms. Smart, who went missing in 1996. Scientists take samples…
BREAKING: Investigators now say evidence of human remains was found beneath the California property tied to Paul Flores’ family — nearly 30 years after Kristin Smart vanished. One statement from the sheriff just changed everything 😳
ARROYO GRANDE, Calif. (AP) — Scientists specializing in human decomposition and soil took samples from the ground Thursday outside a home connected to the man convicted of killing 19-year-old college student Kristin Smart in 1996. Her body was never found. The San…
WHAT THE FAMILY DIDN’T SAY AT FIRST — A relative of Lisa Gail Fields later told investigators there had been “tension building for weeks” involving William Graham Oliver… and in the written statement, one sentence is crossed out but still partially readable under the ink
The investigation into the disappearance of Lisa Gail Fields has entered a deeply psychological phase as the focus shifts from external evidence to the internal dynamics of her own family. In a chilling expansion of the Argument Theory, detectives have…
A MESSAGE THAT CHANGED CONTEXT — Detectives reviewing data linked to Keziah Luker identified a deleted message recovered from backup files… and the restored text shows a single line mentioning William Graham Oliver followed by a timestamp from the afternoon before the incident
The evolution of the investigation into the disappearance of Lisa Gail Fields has taken a sharp and sophisticated turn with the integration of digital forensics into the historical narrative. As detectives work to validate the Argument Theory, a new pillar…
THE ARGUMENT THEORY — Investigators now believe a confrontation involving William Graham Oliver and someone inside the home of Lisa Gail Fields may have happened earlier that week… and one interview note references a “heated exchange in a parked vehicle” that was never officially reported
The investigative landscape surrounding the long-unresolved case of Lisa Gail Fields has shifted dramatically as forensic genealogists and cold case detectives pivot toward what is now being termed The Argument Theory. For decades, the disappearance and presumed murder of Fields…
5 minutes ago: Forensic teams noted serious disturbances in the bedroom, with the safe and desk appearing ransacked, and CCTV footage revealed everything. Police have released the most crucial findings
Restaurateur couple and their two young children found dead in suspected murder-suicide Matthew and Thy Mitchell owned two well-known restaurants in Houston, Texas A well-known Texas restaurateur couple and their two children have been found dead at their home in an apparent murder-suicide,…
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