Answers in Kristin Smart's Disappearance After 20+ Years

Around 2 am on May 25, 1996, Cal Poly freshman Kristin Smart walked back to her dorm with two students who found her passed out and drunk on their lawn after a party. Paul Flores, another freshman, appeared and offered to take her the rest of the way to her room.

Initially,Margarita Campos, a friend who last saw Smart at the party, assumed Smart would see her the next day. When Campos checked on her in the morning, however, Smart had not returned home.

Smart left all her belongings in her dorm and never came back for them. Campos checked her room again hours later; Smart's items remained.After two days, Campos called campus police.. Authorities did not worry much, thinking Smart was on vacation because it was Memorial Day weekend. Campos said:

Campus police asked, "Are you sure she did not leave town?" She had nothing on her. How could she have gone out of town?

Smart was missing forfour days before campus police began looking for her.

Paul Flores became a main suspect because he was the last person who saw Smart alive. He told investigators he left Smart at her dorm before walking home. Flores also had a black eye, which he first claimed came from a basketball accident. He later admitted he lied, then said he hurt himself working on his father's truck.

Avideotaped interviewshows Flores'sdiscomfortwhile being questioned: At one point, he pulled his arms into his T-shirt, scrunched at his waist in his chair, and lifted his feet off the floor, moving toward a fetal position. He also told investigators, "If you're so smart, tell me where the body is."

Authorities released Flores after questioning.

Scott Petersonattended Cal Poly near the same time as Smart and Flores. Peterson later killed his wife, Laci, and their unborn child in 2002—the same year Smart was legally declared dead. He was convicted in 2004.

Before Peterson's arrest, law enforcement suspected a serial killer took the two women. After Peterson was arrested, investigators thought he might connect to Smart's disappearance, but no evidence supported this.

When renterMary Lassitermoved into the East Branch Street home of Flores's mother and noticed things she suspected linked to Smart's case. She toldpodcaster Chris Lambertthat she found an earring in her driveway matching the necklace Smart wore in the picture used for her "missing" billboard.

Lassiter gave the earring to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's office, but they misplaced it.

While living in the East Branch Street home, Lassiterheard a strange beepingLassiter heard beeping from beneath new concrete in her backyard. She thought a digital watch made the sound every morning at the same time, but she never found one on the property. She said:

In the master bedroom, I hear "beep beep" every night at 4:20, or 4:20 in the morning.

The yard had new poured concrete, except for a few planter boxes. Lassiter dug through the planters with sticks looking for the watch, but she found nothing. The beeping stopped after several months. She and Lambert guessed the batteries must have died if the sound came from a watch.

Lambert told Smart's mother about the beeping. She confirmed her daughter worked an early shift as a lifeguard at the campus pool and usually had to be there around 5 am.

As of April 2021, investigators found no evidence in the yard of the East Branch Street home.

In 1997, Flores received a subpoena.Smart's parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit.The lawsuit concerned Smart's disappearance. Ten years later, investigators dug in his mother's backyard. They found no new evidence. Smart's remains remained unfound.

During a 2015 annual review of the lawsuit against Flores, aA court decision followed.stated the civil suit could not proceed while the criminal investigation continued. In 2021, Smart's family filed aThe civil suit addressed the matter.against Flores's father, Ruben, for emotional distress because of their daughter's disappearance.

In January 2020, an FBI agent told the Smart family they could leave for a while.Smart's mother Denise shared this information.revealed a former FBI agent told her they might get closure on the case. He allegedly said, "This is really going to be something you don't expect. We want to give you the support you need."

He also added the family "may want to get away for a while." This caused the Smarts great worry, but they had to wait. They issued this statement to the media:

Over the last few days, our family has faced many questions about the investigation. We truly value the support we received and want to be clear: this investigation is ongoing, complex, fluid, and continuing.

The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office leads the investigation. They are not setting a deadline for completion. We back the sheriff department's work and commitment. They need the time required.

To clarify timing, there is no current schedule for any announcement. The sheriff’s department will tell us when they have news after finishing the investigation.

The FBI and local authorities searched Flores's San Pedro home for items.Investigators found evidence during that search.in the Smart case in February and April 2020. They also searched Flores's parents' homes in Arroyo Grande and his sister's home in Washington state at that time.

The investigation remains active. Authorities kept findings secret, even though Flores faced an unrelated arrest months later. Since 2011, officials have conducted searches.Authorities conducted 18 searches since 2011.These searches covered nine separate locations. Investigators recovered nearly 200 items of evidence related to the case.

On February 11, 2021, the Los Angeles Police Department arrested Flores in Rancho Palos Verdes for possessing a firearm as a felon. Flores had a prior felony DUI, which Central Coast criminal defense attorney Jeff Stein said meant he could not legally have a gun.Jeff SteinThis meant Flores could not lawfully possess a firearm.

Flores posted bond and left to wait for his trial on that charge.

Investigators did not find Smart's remains yet. Authorities had enough proof to arrest Flores and his father, Ruben, for their role in her presumed death. They believe Flores killed her in his dorm room, and Ruben later helped him get rid of her remains and belongings.

Smart'sfamily respondedThey issued this statement:

Knowing a father and son could hide this terrible secret for nearly 25 years, denying them the chance to lay their daughter to rest, causes constant pain.

They now trust the justice system and move on. They feel comforted knowing Kristin is in many hearts and has not been forgotten.

Flores pleaded not guilty to the murder charges. On April 21, 2021, a judge denied his request for bail.bailThe judge ordered Flores to stay in jail pending trial.

Ruben got out on bail after denying accessory charges.

San Luis Obispo County prosecutors claimed "biological evidence" shows Smart's remains were buried on Ruben's White Court property at one point. However, they think she was moved as recently as 2020. Dan Dow, the district attorney of San Luis Obispo County, confirmed these suspicions.she was movedas late as 2020. Dan Dow, the district attorney of San Luis Obispo County, backed these suspicions.

In response to these claims, James Murphy, the Smart family's attorney, filed an intentional infliction of emotional distress lawsuit against Ruben on April 22, 2021.against Rubenon April 22, 2021.

When Flores's arrest became public, law enforcement announced they were looking into other sexual assault allegations against him that share similarities with the Smart case.sexual assault allegationsleveled against him that match the Smart case.

One alleged incident happened in 2013 in Redondo Beach, but the evidence was too weak to prosecute then. Then, in 2016, four women accused Flores of assaulting them between 1994 and 2002 in Los Angeles and San Luis Obispo counties.

On October 18, 2022, a jury found Paul Flores guilty.Paul Floresof Kristin Smart's murder. He faces 25 years to life, and his sentencing is set for December 9.

Though Flores's father, Ruben Flores, was arrested for helping his son dispose of Smart's remains, a separate jury found the elder Flores not guilty.

Reports state neither Flores nor his fatherHe showed no visible reaction.Smart's relatives, who were present, became emotional hearing both verdicts in Paul's case. Stan Smart, however, claims they feel no joy from this conviction. He said:

Without Kristin, this verdict brings no happiness. After 26 years, these split verdicts show our search for Kristin's justice continues.