Search of Flores property finds no trace of Kristin Smart's remains

Authorities completed a search Saturday of an Arroyo Grande property owned by the mother of convicted killer Paul Flores but found no remains of Kristin Smart, the college student who vanished nearly 30 years ago, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office said.

Smart's body has never been recovered in the nearly 30 years since she disappeared from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, despite Flores' conviction in 2022 for her murder.

Scientists specializing in human decomposition and soil analysis collected samples from the property belonging to Susan Flores, the mother of Paul Flores, ABC7 Los Angeles reported. Prior evidence had suggested human remains might be present at the site, but the search yielded no results.

Paul Flores, who was the last person known to have been seen with Smart, was convicted of her murder in October 2022 and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. Prosecutors alleged he killed Smart, then 19, during an attempted rape at California Polytechnic State University, where she was a student.

Smart was declared legally dead in 2002, six years after she disappeared from the San Luis Obispo campus in May 1996. The Arroyo Grande property — located approximately 150 miles northwest of Los Angeles — has drawn investigators searching for her remains.

"The Sheriff's Office remains fully committed to finding Kristin and bringing her home to her family," the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office said in a press release.

The "Your Own Backyard" podcast, hosted by Chris Lambert, helped surface additional witnesses in the case, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

Smart's family has waited nearly 30 years for answers about her disappearance. The sheriff's office said it remains committed to recovering her remains and returning them to her family.