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Kristin Smart case: California woman’s remains still not found, convicted killer’s mother a person of interest
THAT WEEKEND FORECAST AND WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT WEEK. MIKE. THANKS, OPHELIA. HAPPENING RIGHT NOW, THE SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY SHERIFF IS HOLDING A NEWS CONFERENCE TO REVEAL MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SEARCH OF A HOME TIED TO THE KILLER OF STOCKTON NATIVE KRISTIN SMART. LET’S LISTEN IN. WE ARE OUT THERE DURING THE SEARCH. IT’S THE SAME GPR AND OPERATOR THAT WE USED AT RUBEN’S HOUSE WHERE WE LOCATED WHAT WE BELIEVE WAS A LOCATION THAT KRISTIN WAS AT ONE TIME. THE ISSUE IS, IS, YOU KNOW, WHERE IS KRISTIN? AND FOR THOSE THAT HAVE FOLLOWED IT AND KNOW THE CASE, IT’S BEEN A ROLLER COASTER. THERE’S ALWAYS UPS AND YOU THINK YOU’RE ON TO SOMETHING AND THEN IT DROPS TO NOTHING. THAT’S THE WAY THE CASE IS. AND THAT’S NOT UNUSUAL FOR CASES. BUT THIS ONE IN PARTICULAR, I REMEMBER SPEAKING TO OUR INVESTIGATIVE TEAM AT ONE POINT, JUST SAYING, WE DON’T SEEM TO EVER GET A BREAK. EVERY TIME WE THINK WE HAVE SOMETHING, IT IT COLLAPSES. I THINK. WE FINALLY HIT THE HIGH WHEN WE FOUND THE BURIAL SITE AT AT RUBEN’S HOUSE, BUT IT DIDN’T GIVE US THE ANSWER THAT WE WERE STILL SEEKING IS WHERE’S KRISTIN? AND SO THAT’S WHY THE SEARCH CONTINUED. I’LL ONLY MENTION THAT TWO, TWO THINGS I MENTIONED GDPR ALREADY. IT WAS VISIBLE FOR THE MEDIA. IT’S ALL OVER THE NEWS THAT THEY WERE DOING IT. SO THERE WAS NO SECRET WE WERE USING GR. WE ALSO ARE CONDUCTING SOIL TESTS, AND THAT’S KIND OF THE SCIENTIFIC PART. 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 THAT ARE RELATED TO A HUMAN DECOMPOSING BODY. AND SO THAT IS WHAT YOU SAW OR MAY HAVE SEEN WITH THE CANISTERS COLLECTING IT. THE WAY THESE WARRANTS WORK, JUST LIKE RUBEN’S, AS YOU MAY RECALL, WE A JUDGE BELIEVES THAT WE HAVE PROBABLE CAUSE TO GO LOOK FOR EITHER SUSAN OR EXCUSE ME, EITHER KRISTEN OR THE REMAINS OF KRISTEN. AND ONCE WE SATISFY THAT, THEN IT BECOMES A SLOW, METHODICAL SEARCH. WE MADE THE AGREEMENT THAT INTERNALLY, THAT WE ARE NOT LEAVING THAT HOUSE UNTIL WE ARE SURE THAT WE HAVE CHECKED EVERYTHING. AND WHEN I SAY EVERYTHING IS IS WHAT IS REASONABLE, WE CAN’T GO TO SOMEBODY’S HOUSE REGARDLESS OF WHAT WE MIGHT BELIEVE, AND TEAR UP THE ENTIRE HOUSE. WE HAVE TO BASE IT ON. NEXT STEP. EXCUSE ME. NEXT STEP SCIENCES. AND THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT WE DID IN RUBEN’S HOUSE. THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT WE’RE DOING NOW. SO THE QUESTION IS, IS. I THINK IT’S SAFE TO SAY THAT WE HAVE NOT RECOVERED KRISTEN YET. AND BUT OUR SEARCH GOES ON, AND I DON’T KNOW HOW LONG WE’RE GOING TO BE THERE. THE WARRANT THAT WE OBTAINED, WE OBTAINED WHAT’S CALLED THAT WE REFER TO AS A KICK OUT WARRANT. THAT MEANS THE OCCUPANTS OF THE RESIDENCE, ONCE WE SERVE IT, HAVE TO DEPART AND CANNOT RETURN TO THE RESIDENCE. IT’S NOT UNUSUAL. YOU CAN IMAGINE THAT A YOU DON’T WANT SOMEBODY THAT COULD BE A SUSPECT IN A CASE, OR WHO MIGHT HAVE ACCESS TO EVIDENCE DESTROYING THAT ONCE WE’RE THERE. BUT ALSO WE DON’T HAVE THE ABILITY TO, TO, TO BABYSIT THEM AND BASICALLY HOLD THEM, YOU KNOW, HOLD THEM IN THEIR HOUSE, RESTRICT THEM FROM GOING ANYWHERE. SO THAT’S NOT UNCOMMON. SO THAT’S WHAT WE DID IN THIS CASE. SUSAN WON’T BE ABLE TO RETURN UNTIL WE HAVE COMPLETED OUR SEARCH. DON’T KNOW IF IT’S GOING TO CONCLUDE TODAY. AS I MENTIONED, IT’S A METHODICAL STEP. EACH EACH TIME WE GET SOMETHING, WE GO IN ANOTHER DIRECTION. WE GET SOMETHING, WE PURSUE THAT. AND SO IT IS UNTIL WE’RE DONE, WE’RE DONE. AND WE PLAN TO BE THERE UNTIL WE CAN WALK AWAY, EITHER FINDING KRISTEN OR ALL THE EVIDENCE WE CAN FIND AND MOVING TO THE NEXT STEP. I’LL TELL YOU ONE OTHER THING THAT HAS BEEN MY MANTRA WITH STAN. AND HE’S SMART, AND I HAVE A VERY GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM. I SPEAK TO THEM ALL THE TIME. I TOLD THEM AT THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE CASE WHEN I CAME INTO OFFICE, THAT I WOULD COMMUNICATE WITH THEM. THEY COULD CALL ME ANYTIME THAT I WANTED TO SHARE WHAT I COULD. BUT JUST LIKE WITH YOU, I CAN’T SHARE EVERYTHING. WE HAVE TO PROTECT THE INTEGRITY OF THE CASE. AND, AND I THINK SOMETIMES PEOPLE DON’T FULLY UNDERSTAND THAT IF I LET OUT AN INFORMATION THAT COULD JEOPARDIZE A NEXT STEP OR OUR NEXT DIRECTION, THAT WOULD BE DAMAGING MY, MY RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SMARTS IS I WILL TELL YOU IN ADVANCE. SO THERE’S NO SURPRISES THAT WE’RE DOING SOMETHING. IN SOME CASES, I CAN BE SPECIFIC THAT WE’RE GOING TO A LOCATION AND OTHERS IT’S FAIRLY VAGUE UNTIL WE’RE ACTUALLY THERE. YOU GUYS DO OBVIOUSLY, A TREMENDOUS JOB OF FINDING WHERE WE ARE AND KNOWING OUR LOCATION AND KNOWING WHAT WE’RE UP TO. YOU KNOW, THAT NEIGHBORHOOD ON BRANCH STREET? I AM QUITE CONVINCED THAT MANY PEOPLE IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD WERE CALLING THE MOMENT WE PULLED UP IN FRONT OF THAT HOUSE. TOTALLY UNDERSTANDABLE. BUT WE STILL HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT ANYTHING WE’RE PURSUING IS NOT IS NOT TAINTED OR IS GETTING OUT BEFORE IT NEEDS TO GO OUT WHERE IT’S GOING TO DAMAGE THE FUTURE OF THE CASE. IT GOES FOR LOCATIONS THAT WE’VE SEARCHED BEFORE. WHAT WE DON’T KNOW, AND PROBABLY A SIMPLE ANALOGY FOR THAT IS IF WE GO AND TALK TO A WITNESS TODAY AND THAT WITNESS SAYS THEY SAW NOTHING, THEY LOOKED AWAY WHEN ALL, ALL IT ALL HAPPENED. AND THEN WE FIND OUT A WEEK LATER THAT THAT WAS NOT TRUE. THEY HAD TOLD PEOPLE THAT THEY WITNESSED EVERYTHING. SO JUST BECAUSE SOMEBODY WAS INTERVIEWED, JUST BECAUSE THE LOCATION WAS SEARCHED DOES NOT MEAN THAT WE HAVE CHECKED IT OFF OUR BOX. WE HAVE A VERY LARGE COUNTY WITH MANY RURAL PARTS TO IT. AND AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, IF FOR THOSE WHO ARE AROUND, YOU KNOW, PROBABLY NOW. A DOZEN YEARS AGO, TEN, 12 YEARS AGO, WE SEARCHED THE HILLSIDE OUTSIDE OF CAL POLY, WHERE THE BIG P WAS. THAT TOOK TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF WORK. AND, AND WE, WE BARELY WE BARELY HIT THAT FULL HILLSIDE. I MEAN, WE IT WAS A, PROBABLY AN EIGHTH OF THAT HILL THAT WE HIT BASED ON. SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE THAT PUT US THERE. SO I THINK WHEN, WHEN IT COMES TO DIVULGING CERTAIN THINGS, I CAN’T DIVULGE, BUT UNDERSTAND THAT I HAVE THE SAME RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FAMILY. I THINK THE PROBLEM WITH THIS CASE FROM THE VERY BEGINNING WAS MOST PEOPLE THAT HAD READ THE CASE BELIEVE THEY KNEW ABOUT THE CASE. IT WAS ALWAYS THERE. FEELING WAS ALWAYS BASED ON BELIEF. AND AS I REPEATED TO THE SMARTS MANY TIMES, IT’S NOT WHAT WE BELIEVE, IT’S WHAT WE CAN PROVE. AND AND THAT’S OUR JUSTICE SYSTEM. AND THAT’S, THAT’S WHY I THINK OUR JUSTICE SYSTEM IS SOUND. YOU PEOPLE SHOULDN’T WANT LAW ENFORCEMENT ARRESTING SOMEBODY ON A BELIEF. THERE SHOULD BE PROVED TO IT. SO THAT’S WHAT MAKES IT HARD FOR EVERYBODY SAYING, I WANT THIS. I WANT TO SEE THAT BRADSTREET IS PARTICULARLY HAS COME UP FROM THE VERY BEGINNING AS A LOCATION. BUT WHEN IT’S BEEN SEARCHED ALREADY, WE HAVE TO HAVE NEW EVIDENCE IN ORDER TO GO BACK. A JUDGE JUST DOESN’T SAY, WELL, YEAH, YOU HAD THE WARRANT. YOU DIDN’T. YOU DIDN’T FEEL A THOROUGH ENOUGH JOB WAS DONE BACK THEN. IT’S NOT NOT FRESH INFORMATION. THE INFORMATION IN THE SEARCH WARRANT HAS TO BE FRESH, RELEVANT, AND HAVE THE THRESHOLD OF PROBABLE CAUSE. SO THAT’S WHAT WE PURSUED. THAT’S WHAT WHY WE’RE THERE TODAY. WE ARRIVED JUST BEFORE SEVEN ON WEDNESDAY TO SERVE THE SEARCH WARRANT. AND WE’RE PREPARED TO GO AS LONG AS IT TAKES UNTIL WE EITHER FIND KRISTEN, FIND EVIDENCE AND ARE SATISFIED THAT EVERYTHING HAS BEEN SEARCHED. OKAY, OKAY. YOU WERE JUST LISTENING TO AN UPDATE GIVEN BY THE SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY SHERIFF. COUPLE OF THINGS THAT HE MENTIONED IS THAT INVESTIGATORS ARE CONTINUING TO SEARCH THE HOME OF SUSAN FLORES, THE MOTHER, OF COURSE, OF PAUL FLORES, WHO’S CONVICTED OF KILLING KRISTIN SMART IN 1996. THAT’S WHEN SHE WAS LAST SEEN AS A STUDENT AT CAL POLY. BOTTOM LINE IS, THE SHERIFF SAYS THAT THEY HAVE NOT RECOVERED KRISTEN JUST YET. BUT THE SEARCH CONTINUES. THEY’RE USING GROUND PENETRATING RADAR AND SOIL TESTS TO FIND ANY POTENTIAL TRACES OF A DECOMPOSING BODY. OF COURSE, WE’LL HAVE MORE OF TH
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Kristin Smart case: California woman’s remains still not found, convicted killer’s mother a person of interest
Days after authorities began searching a home in connection with the 1996 murder of college student and California native Kristin Smart, officials said her remains have yet to be found.Paul Flores, who was a student alongside Smart at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, has been convicted of her murder. But San Luis Obispo Sheriff Ian Parkinson said during a Friday news conference that they have not stopped searching.On Wednesday, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office searched a home in Arroyo Grande that belongs to Paul’s mother, Susan Flores.Parkinson said that when investigators first searched Susan’s home in 1996, they used a ground-penetrating radar (GPR). But he explained that GPRs 30 years ago were not as advanced as they are now, including the one they’re using now to search Susan’s home.Soil tests are also being conducted to search for any compounds in the soil that are related to a human’s decomposing body, Parkinson said.”We are not leaving that house until we’re sure we checked everything,” Parkinson said.The sheriff said he does not know how long they are going to be searching the home, but that the type of warrant they obtained prevents occupants from returning to the home. Parkinson stated that evidence suggests human remains were at one point on Susan’s property. However, he said it is not known if they were Smart’s.When asked if Susan is a person of interest or is allowed to leave the state as part of the search warrant, Parkinson said Susan is currently a person of interest “as always has been.” However, he said they have no lawful reason to detain her at this point.On Friday, the Smart family sent the following statement below:“We remain hopeful that this current search will be successful and look forward to the outcome. Our family greatly appreciates the efforts, dedication, and commitment of Sheriff Ian Parkinson, Detective Clint Cole, the San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Department, and the technical experts assisting with the execution of this search. Finally, we continue to feel the tremendous support of the local community and all the people far beyond the Central Coast who provide us with great strength to continue this journey to bring Kristin home.”Similar to what prosecutors tried with Paul’s father, Ruben, Parkinson said Susan can be prosecuted as an accessory if they can make that connection.Smart disappeared over Memorial Day Weekend in 1996. Prosecutors argued that Paul Flores killed Smart during an attempted rape in his dorm room. He was the last person seen with her as he walked her home from an off-campus party.In March 2023, Paul Flores was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. He has maintained his innocence.Ruben was found not guilty of being an accessory after the fact for allegedly helping to conceal the crime. Prosecutors argued that Smart’s remains were buried on Ruben Flores’ property and later moved.
Days after authorities began searching a home in connection with the 1996 murder of college student and California native Kristin Smart, officials said her remains have yet to be found.
Paul Flores, who was a student alongside Smart at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, has been convicted of her murder. But San Luis Obispo Sheriff Ian Parkinson said during a Friday news conference that they have not stopped searching.
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On Wednesday, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office searched a home in Arroyo Grande that belongs to Paul’s mother, Susan Flores.
Parkinson said that when investigators first searched Susan’s home in 1996, they used a ground-penetrating radar (GPR). But he explained that GPRs 30 years ago were not as advanced as they are now, including the one they’re using now to search Susan’s home.
Soil tests are also being conducted to search for any compounds in the soil that are related to a human’s decomposing body, Parkinson said.
“We are not leaving that house until we’re sure we checked everything,” Parkinson said.
The sheriff said he does not know how long they are going to be searching the home, but that the type of warrant they obtained prevents occupants from returning to the home.
Parkinson stated that evidence suggests human remains were at one point on Susan’s property. However, he said it is not known if they were Smart’s.
When asked if Susan is a person of interest or is allowed to leave the state as part of the search warrant, Parkinson said Susan is currently a person of interest “as always has been.” However, he said they have no lawful reason to detain her at this point.
On Friday, the Smart family sent the following statement below:
“We remain hopeful that this current search will be successful and look forward to the outcome. Our family greatly appreciates the efforts, dedication, and commitment of Sheriff Ian Parkinson, Detective Clint Cole, the San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Department, and the technical experts assisting with the execution of this search. Finally, we continue to feel the tremendous support of the local community and all the people far beyond the Central Coast who provide us with great strength to continue this journey to bring Kristin home.”
Similar to what prosecutors tried with Paul’s father, Ruben, Parkinson said Susan can be prosecuted as an accessory if they can make that connection.
Smart disappeared over Memorial Day Weekend in 1996.
Prosecutors argued that Paul Flores killed Smart during an attempted rape in his dorm room. He was the last person seen with her as he walked her home from an off-campus party.
In March 2023, Paul Flores was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. He has maintained his innocence.
Ruben was found not guilty of being an accessory after the fact for allegedly helping to conceal the crime.
Prosecutors argued that Smart’s remains were buried on Ruben Flores’ property and later moved.
