Investigators ended a search at the home of Kristin Smart’s alleged killer’s mother without recovering a body, despite prior signs of remains.
A renewed search for Kristin Smart’s remains at the home of her alleged killer’s mother has ended without recovering a body, even after soil testing previously indicated human remains may have been present.
Investigators concluded a search on Saturday at Susan Flores’ Arroyo Grande residence in the 500 block of East Branch Street. ending the operation without finding Kristin Smart.. Deputies. soil scientists. and ground radar experts worked at the property after obtaining a search warrant. and the sheriff’s office said detectives would now review the evidence collected during the effort.
In a statement following the conclusion of the search, the sheriff’s office said it did not recover Kristin Smart. Detectives will be evaluating any evidence recovered to aid in the ongoing investigation.
Sheriff Ian Parkinson’s office reiterated its continued commitment to locating Smart and bringing her home to her family. adding that no further information was available.. The department has maintained since the case returned to public focus that it remains dedicated to determining what happened to Smart nearly three decades ago.
Parkinson had previously disclosed that soil tests were positive for human remains.. Speaking after the testing. he said that “scientific evidence” suggested human remains were likely present at one point. explaining that investigators cannot confirm the remains are Smart without recovery.. The earlier findings, he said, supported evidence that human remains may have been at the location in question.
People familiar with the investigation previously told a local outlet that investigators have collected a substantial amount of data during the current work and that it needs to be analyzed.. Investigators also believe Smart’s body may have been moved multiple times. a factor that can complicate how and where remains appear in later testing.
The investigation traces back to when Paul Flores was last seen with Kristin Smart after the two walked toward her dormitory at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo following a 1996 Memorial Day weekend party. From that point, Smart disappeared, and the case persisted for years as interest waxed and waned.
That attention intensified again in part because of a podcast called “Your Own Backyard,” which began in 2019 under the direction of Chris Lambert. The podcast helped reintroduce the case to a wider audience, contributing to the renewed scrutiny that preceded Paul Flores’ arrest.
Paul Flores was arrested in 2021 after a renewed investigation into Smart’s killing. After a lengthy trial, he was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison, a punishment delivered more than two decades after Smart went missing.
Three years earlier, a different round of scientific work had already suggested the possibility of decomposition-related materials in the area.. A team of scientists. working from Susan Flores’ neighbors’ backyard using soil vapor sampling. detected volatile organic compounds they said may be associated with decomposing human remains.. Investigators this week were described as conducting a similar effort, but with more advanced techniques.
The search work draws on research by specialists focused on how human bodies break down in soil.. In November 2019, soil engineer Tim Nelligan, a former FBI chemist, began researching decomposition in soil.. Two months later. he recruited Steve Hoyt. a Cal Poly graduate with a doctorate in environmental science who runs a business testing soil samples on the Central Coast.
Brian Eckenrode, a retired FBI forensic scientist and expert in human decomposition, later joined the work in 2021. Nelligan has said the goal is to find answers and bring peace to Kristin Smart’s parents after years of uncertainty.
Before the latest attempt at the Flores family property, authorities had searched multiple nearby properties tied to the family.. Deputies repeatedly searched backyards of homes owned individually by Smart’s alleged killer’s parents. including the property of Paul Flores’ father. Ruben Flores. in Arroyo Grande.. In 2021, that effort included ground-penetrating radar and cadaver dogs, but no remains were uncovered.
About a month after those earlier searches of Ruben Flores’ property, both Ruben and Paul Flores were arrested and charged in connection with Smart’s murder. Ruben Flores, who faced allegations tied to helping dispose of Smart’s remains, was later found not guilty of being an accessory to the crime.
Although Saturday’s operation did not recover a body. the decision to continue pursuing scientific leads reflects the case’s distinctive pattern: investigators have repeatedly returned to the same physical locations. using advancing methods to evaluate whether remains might be present but difficult to detect.. If Smart’s remains were moved more than once. it would help explain why earlier searches could come up empty even when later testing points to decomposition-related signals.
For Smart’s family. investigators’ use of soil science and radar technology underscores both the promise and limits of such searches.. Even when tests indicate that human remains were likely present at a site. recovery remains dependent on where remains are ultimately located and whether they can be safely and effectively found during excavation.
The renewed search also highlights how public attention and long-term investigative persistence have converged in this case.. Since Paul Flores was sentenced to life in prison in recent years. the investigation has continued to focus on identifying Smart’s remains. driven by an effort to convert scientific indications into a final. confirmable discovery that can provide closure for her family.
Kristin Smart Paul Flores Susan Flores soil testing Arroyo Grande search Cal Poly cold case