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Search ends, no remains
Authorities investigating the 1996 disappearance and murder of California college student Kristin Smart said Saturday that they did not recover her remains after finishing a search at the Arroyo Grande property of Susan Flores, the mother of Paul Flores, who was convicted in Smart’s death four years ago.
“We did not recover Kristin Smart”
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office said, “We did not recover Kristin Smart,” and added that “Detectives will be evaluating any evidence we have recovered to aid in the investigation.”
Sheriff Ian Parkinson had told reporters Friday that soil tests indicated that “human remains may be or may have been on the property,” describing the work as “about the compounds in the soil that are related to a human, decomposing body.”
Investigators had executed a search warrant at the 500 block of East Branch Street at a home belonging to Susan Flores, and the search concluded after three days of searching and digging, with the sheriff’s office saying it would not provide additional information at this time.
What prosecutors alleged
In a judicial document, Telemundo 52 reported that authorities said Kristin Smart’s body had been buried in the backyard of the home owned by the father of the alleged killer, Rubén Flores, and that it was “trasladado recientemente” from Rubén Flores’ home in San Luis Obispo.
Telemundo 52 quoted prosecutor Christopher Peuvrelle saying, “La excavación debajo de su cubierta mostró evidencia irrefutable de que un cuerpo había sido enterrado en ese lugar y luego trasladado recientemente.”
The same Telemundo 52 report said prosecutors consider Rubén Flores to have helped encubrir the crime of his son for nearly a quarter of a century and quoted Peuvrelle saying, “Debido a la evidencia obtenida de la excavación, es razonable creer que Ruben Flores actualmente conoce la ubicación de los restos de Kristin Smart.”
Telemundo 52 also said Rubén Flores pleaded not guilty to a charge of complicity, while Paul Flores, 44, pleaded innocent of a murder charge, and that the arrests came after investigators used radar and cadaver dogs during a search at Rubén Flores’ home last month.
Next steps and stakes
Even with the search concluding without recovery, the sheriff’s office said detectives would evaluate any evidence collected during the Arroyo Grande operation, and multiple outlets reported the agency’s continued commitment to finding Kristin Smart and bringing her home to her family.
“fully committed to finding Kristin and bringing her home to her family”
NBC News quoted the sheriff’s office statement that it was “fully committed to finding Kristin and bringing her home to her family,” while CBS News said investigators would continue evaluating evidence collected during the search to assist the ongoing investigation.
NBC News also reported that Smart vanished May 25, 1996, was declared legally dead in 2002, and that prosecutors alleged Paul Flores killed her during an attempted rape and possibly buried her under a deck at his father’s home in Arroyo Grande, roughly 16 miles south of the college town.
The stakes remain tied to whether investigators can connect evidence to Smart’s remains, with NBC News describing that soil tests had suggested human remains “may be or may have been on the property” and that the sheriff’s office said it would not make additional comments or provide further updates as the investigation continues.
