Human remains have been discovered at the home of a man convicted of murdering missing California college student Kristin Smart, who vanished in 1996. Smart disappeared over 30 years ago in the town of Arroyo Grande, California, and she was declared dead in 2002 but her remains have never been found.
Following a raid on the home of her killer Paul Flores this week, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office said evidence suggests human remains were present in his property. Sheriff Ian Parkinson cautioned that authorities have not confirmed whether the remains are those of Smart.
Cops searched the home of Flores' mother Susan on Wednesday, and investigators specializing in human decomposition and soil were seen taking samples from the ground, per Live5. Parkinson said in a press conference that the raid marked a major breakthrough in the decades-old case.
'We believe that based on what we’re looking at evidence-wise -- scientific-wise -- that a human’s remains were there at one time -- or still there,' the sheriff said. 'We can’t call it Kristin, but there’s evidence to support human remains.'
Kristin Smart vanished in 1996. Paul Flores is seen here in a 2006 file photo. Authorities are seen here conducting a search of the garage of the property on Wednesday. The search was first reported by the 'Your Own Backyard' podcast, who provided investigators with additional witnesses in the hopes of finding Smart's body.
She went missing from California Polytechnic State University in 1996. She was declared legally dead in 2002. Prosecutors alleged she was killed during an attempted rape and that the last person she was seen with was Flores, a fellow student. Both Flores and his father Ruben were arrested in 2021, with prosecutors alleging that her body was buried on Ruben's property before being moved.
