San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson Says Soil Testing Finds Human Remains at Susan Flores Home

Nearly 30 years after Kristin Smart vanished, investigators renewed a search at the 500 block of East Branch Street, the Arroyo Grande home of Susan Flores, mother of Paul Flores, and soil testing produced “positive results” consistent with human remains presence while authorities said they have not recovered Smart’s body.

“New search warrant in Kristin Smart case, decades after 19-year-old disappeared Smart's remains were not found following the latest search”

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San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson told reporters, “I think it’s safe to say that we have not recovered Kristin yet but our search goes on,” as the sheriff said the search warrant operation was still ongoing.

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Investigators said the renewed search was prompted by newly developed investigative leads and evidence that met the legal standard for a fresh warrant, and they used ground-penetrating radar and soil analysis designed to detect chemical compounds associated with human decomposition.

Parkinson also emphasized that “The GPR from 30 years ago is not the GPR today,” describing how the technology has advanced as investigators identified underground anomalies at the property.

The Los Angeles Times reported that authorities have detected human remains but “have not found a body,” while Parkinson said investigators would return to dig if anything is found, requiring another warrant and potentially causing delays.

At a Friday news conference, Parkinson said he vowed to Smart’s parents that he “would not give up the search for Kristen's remains and it was my goal to bring Kristen home,” while also describing how investigators continued to search locations over the last couple years.

The Telemundo 52 report tied the case’s renewed attention to a podcast, saying Chris Lambert created a series about Smart’s disappearance and that when the sheriff announced arrests, “le dio crédito a Lambert por ayudar a llamar la atención mundial sobre el caso.”

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Telemundo 52 said Lambert’s eight-part series, “Your Own Backyard,” reached 7,5 million downloads on Thursday and was the podcast number 2 in iTunes, while Lambert told The Associated Press, “Me está volviendo loco,” but stayed patient and focused during a 45-minute interview.

In the same Telemundo 52 account, Lambert described his approach after seeing a billboard near Orcutt, saying, “Pensé en intentarlo y ver si podía hacer que algunas personas hablaran,” and he said he located witnesses who had not spoken with police.

The Desert Sun reported that authorities plan to remain at the site as long as necessary, with Parkinson saying, “We plan to be there until we can walk away, either finding Kristin or all the evidence we can find and moving to the next step,” as the search continues without a recovered body.

Even with soil testing indicating human remains presence, multiple outlets stressed that investigators cannot yet say the remains are Kristin Smart, and Parkinson told reporters, “We can’t call it Kristin, but you know, we think there’s evidence to support human remains.”

“Smart's body has never been found since she went missing in 1996”

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The Desert Sun said the renewed search is nearly 30 years after Smart vanished and that investigators will remain at the site until they can walk away either finding Kristin or all the evidence they can find, while also noting that the evidence could take them “to tomorrow, the next day and the next day.”

The Los Angeles Times reported that if anything is ultimately found, authorities will return to dig, which would require another warrant and “you are going to see some delays,” while Parkinson said the search is “methodical” and that investigators pursue new directions when they get something.

NBC News said the search for potential leads continues as investigators take more soil samples and use ground-penetrating radar, and it quoted Parkinson saying, “We’re not leaving that house until we’ve exhausted everything,” as the sheriff reiterated Susan Flores has always been a person of interest.

Across the coverage, the central unresolved question remains where Kristin Smart is, with CNN saying “Until we have Kristin, everything is still wide open,” and with the sheriff describing that investigators are hunting for where she may have been moved after she was killed.