Two men have been arrested in connection with Kristin Smart’s disappearance in 1996, authorities said Tuesday. Paul Flores, 44, was taken into custody and charged with murder. No bail has been filed.
Investigators have not yet discovered Smart’s body, but they remain hopeful, San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson said. “I believe we’ll find Kristin,” he said. “We will continue to focus on finding her remains, regardless of any legal action.”
On May 24, 1996, Smart was 19 when she disappeared when she returned to a dorm at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Flores, who was considered the prime suspect, was also a student at the school.
His father, Ruben Flores, 80, was also arrested and booked on accessory suspicion on Tuesday and is facing $ 250,000 bail, Parkinson said.
Handout via Carla Hoffman
“Today’s news of arrests in connection with the case brings grief, but also a measure of release and hope for a resolution,” Cal Poly president Jeff Armstrong said Tuesday. “While we know that current developments are not the end of things, it is an important step.”
Parkinson said on Tuesday that the warrants were sealed and details of the evidence leading to the two arrests could not be disclosed.
Earlier Tuesday, a representative from the Smart family called it “an extremely emotional day.” After the press conference, a family spokesperson issued a statement to CBS News.
“For over twenty-four years we have been waiting for this bittersweet day. It is impossible to put into words what this day means to our family; we pray that this is the first step in bringing our daughter home,” the statement said. While Kristin’s loving spirit will always live in our hearts, without her hugs, laughs and smiles, our life is a heartache that never subsides.
“To know that despite our desperate pleas for help, a father and son could have withheld this terrible secret for nearly 25 years and denied us the opportunity to let our daughter rest is an unrelenting and relentless pain,” the statement said.
Last year, a student who was with Smart before her disappearance said the couple broke up because Smart wanted to stay out and she wanted to go home. “To this day I thought, why … why did I just let her go alone?” Margarita Campos told CBS News ”48 hours
Parkinson said there were more than 141 search warrants issued in the course of the Smart investigation and the discovery of more than 200 pieces of evidence.
San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office
CBS Los Angeles reported that in February 2020 and again in April 2020, detectives raided Paul Flores’ home in San Pedro, about 25 miles south of LA. The station also said Flores was arrested in February 2021 on the basis of an unrelated gun charge and released on bail at the time.
In mid-March, authorities issued a search warrant at Paul’s father’s San Luis Obispo County home, using cadaveric dogs and ground radar, according to CBS LA.
Paul Flores will be charged on Thursday.