Authorities are continuing their search for the remains of Kristin Smart, the 19-year-old Cal Poly student murdered in 1996, as a second day of court-sanctioned digging gets under way at a home belonging to the convicted killer’s mother.
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at a property in Arroyo Grande, a coastal town in central California, where Susan Flores, the mother of Paul Flores, lives. The sheriff’s office said it remained “committed to bringing Kristin home to her family” but added that no further information would be released at this time. Law enforcement officers are expected to continue their work on Thursday, May 7.
The warrant was served as part of the long-running investigation into Smart’s disappearance, nearly 30 years after she vanished. Her body has never been recovered, and she was declared legally dead in 2002. The latest search follows previous scrutiny of the same property: in 2023, forensic experts using experimental soil vapor sampling technology detected evidence consistent with human remains buried near Susan Flores’s yard. That technique was not used in criminal court, but the finding has renewed focus on the address.
The Your Own Backyard podcast, which is widely credited with unearthing new witnesses and evidence that helped secure a conviction, first reported the search. Its producer, Chris Lambert, was reportedly at the scene during the operation. Public records confirm the home is owned by Susan Flores. Attempts to reach her for comment on Wednesday were unsuccessful.
The county district attorney’s office said on Wednesday it was assisting the sheriff’s office with 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.
Guilty verdict and a sentence of 25 years to life
Kristin Smart, a freshman at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, went missing on Memorial Day weekend in May 1996 after returning from an off-campus party. Prosecutors alleged she was killed during an attempted rape. The last person she was seen with was Paul Flores, a fellow student.
Paul Flores was arrested in 2021 alongside his father, Ruben Flores. At trial, prosecutors argued that Smart’s remains had been buried on Ruben Flores’s property and later moved. Ruben Flores was acquitted of accessory charges. That property is different from the one now being searched.
Paul Flores was convicted of murder in October 2022 and sentenced in March 2023 to 25 years to life in prison. Since being incarcerated, he has been physically attacked at least twice. He maintains his innocence and has appealed against the conviction, but the California Supreme Court denied his petition for review in January 2026.
In June 2024, a judge ordered Paul Flores to pay more than $350,000 in restitution to the Smart family for costs incurred after Kristin’s death. The family has said they would forgo the payment if Flores would disclose where her body is. His attorney, Harold Mesick, said in 2024 that the defence did not know the location of the remains.
Ongoing investigation and unanswered questions
Previous searches have already uncovered physical evidence. In 2021, a search of Ruben Flores’s property reportedly yielded human blood and fibres matching clothing Smart was last seen wearing. No remains were found there.
The same year, the Your Own Backyard podcast, produced by Chris Lambert, brought forward additional witnesses that investigators said helped crack the case. The podcast has continued to follow developments, including the recent search of Susan Flores’s home.
In February 2024, the Smart family filed a wrongful death civil lawsuit against Cal Poly, alleging that university officials were negligent because they failed to properly address earlier complaints about Paul Flores’s harassing behaviour towards other female students. That case is ongoing.
District Attorney Dan Dow has previously stated that his office will use all lawful means to find Smart’s remains, and the latest warrant is the most visible sign of that commitment. The sheriff’s office has offered no update on what, if anything, has been found so far, and neither Paul Flores nor his representatives have provided any new information about the location of her body.
