California investigators end search of Paul Flores home in Kristin Smart case, find no remains

Investigators in California finished searching a home connected to convicted killer Paul Flores in the long-unsolved disappearance of Kristin Smart. They said they did not find her remains but plan to examine evidence gathered from the property.

The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office announced Saturday that detectives completed the search at a home on East Branch Street in Arroyo Grande. The property is tied to Smart's 1996 disappearance.

"We did not recover Kristin Smart," the sheriff’s office stated. "Detectives will be evaluating any evidence we have recovered to aid in the investigation. The Sheriff’s Office remains fully committed to finding Kristin and bringing her home to her family."

Officials added that no further updates are available now.

The search followed reports earlier in the week that investigators found evidence pointing to possible human remains at the home, owned by Paul Flores’ mother, Susan Flores.

San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson said at a Friday news conference that soil tests detected compounds matching a decomposing human body.

"We believe that… human remains were there at one time, or still there," Parkinson said. "We think there’s evidence to support human remains."

"I’m not going to go into the details, other than just to say with soil tests, it’s about the compounds in the soil that are related to a human, decomposing body," he added.

The effort is the latest in the nearly 30-year-old case that has held attention on California’s Central Coast.

Kristin Smart, a 19-year-old student at California Polytechnic State University, vanished in May 1996 after an off-campus party. Prosecutors said Paul Flores killed her during an attempted rape in his dorm room.

Now 49, Flores was convicted of first-degree murder in 2022 and received a sentence of 25 years to life. Smart’s body has never been located.

San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow has said his office is dedicated to finding Smart’s remains and will use all legal means to provide answers for her family.

Authorities say they remain committed to locating Smart despite no confirmed remains from this search.