New search warrant issued decades on from Kristin Smart murder at killer's mom's house
Topics: Crime, US News, True crime, Podcast
Mia Williams
Featured Image Credit: Smart Family
Topics: Crime, US News, True crime, Podcast
Warning: This article contains discussion of rape which some readers may find distressing.
Investigators have issued a new search warrant at Kristin Smart's killer's mom's home in California, nearly 30 years after the 19-year-old's disappearance.
Kristin Smart, 19, was a college student at California Polytechnic State University, when she was killed by fellow student, Paul Flores, on May 24, 1996.
The freshman had attended an off-campus party but never returned home to her dormitory, which Flores allegedly offered to help her back to in the early hours of the morning.
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While Flores was interviewed by officers immediately following Smart's disappearance, he was not convicted of the first-degree murder until October 2022, over 25 years on from the crime, when he was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
Investigators who searched the killer's father's home found human blood and fibers that matched the colors of the clothing Smart had been wearing on the night she went missing.
But her body has never been found.
Now, California investigators have conducted new search warrants as part of their probe to locate Smart's body.
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office announced yesterday (May 6) that deputies executed a search warrant at the killer's mother's home, but declined to provide further details about the operation.
District Attorney Dan Dow said in a statement: "While those responsible for Kristin’s death - and those with knowledge of her whereabouts - could provide answers at any time, we remain firmly committed to using every lawful tool available to locate Kristin’s remains and to support her family until she is brought home."
Investigators declared the young girl legally dead in 2002, and it remained cold until true crime podcast 'Your Own Backyard' resurfaced the disturbing case in 2021.
The podcast helped investigators to get new witnesses and evidence, which led to the charges against Flores.
Classmates came forward to speak to detectives working on the case, who allegedly found Smart passed out in the early hours of the morning, and claimed that Flores appeared out of nowhere.
He said to the classmates that he knew where she lived, and had offered to help her home.
Prosecutors claimed that Smart was killed during an attempted rape, as per AP.
Flores' father, Ruben Flores, was also arrested in 2021 at the same time, and charged with being an accessory to the murder.
However, a jury later acquitted him on those charges.
His son, Paul, appealed his conviction, but the California Supreme Court denied his petition for review in January.
If you've been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Or you can chat online via online.rainn.org