In a dramatic escalation of the decades-long search for Kristin Smart, investigators swept into a quiet Arroyo Grande neighborhood Wednesday, executing a search warrant at the home of the man convicted of her murder—Paul Flores. The property, a modest residence on East Branch Street, is occupied by Flores’s mother, Susan, who has long been at the center of whispers and unanswered questions.
Authorities from the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the warrant was signed by a superior court judge, signaling a fresh wave of determination to bring closure to a case that has haunted California for nearly three decades. “We are committed to bringing Kristin home to her family,” the sheriff’s office declared, their words carrying the weight of years of dead ends and false leads.
Paul Flores, 49, is already serving a 25-years-to-life sentence for killing Smart during an attempted rape in his dorm room at Cal Poly in 1996. But while he rots behind bars, her remains have never been found—a wound that refuses to heal for her loved ones and the community.
District Attorney Dan Dow echoed the sheriff’s resolve, vowing to use every lawful tool available to unearth Smart’s body. “Those responsible—and those with knowledge—could provide answers at any time,” he said, his tone both fierce and weary. The Smart family has even offered to drop a $350,000 restitution claim against Flores if he simply reveals where he hid her.
Flores’s attorney insists his client doesn’t know where the body lies—a claim that rings hollow to many who have followed the case. Susan Flores, reached by reporters, offered no comment, leaving the small house on East Branch Street to hold its secrets for now as the search for Kristin Smart presses on.
