Body of Kristin Smart moved from property belonging to suspected killer’s father, investigators say
The body of Kristin Smart, a California college student who vanished nearly 25 years ago, was recently moved from beneath the deck attached to an Arroyo Grande home owned by the accused killer’s father, investigators said.
Authorities have spent a significant amount of time combing through property, owned by Reuben Flores, for Smart’s remains. The 80-year-old suspect is accused of helping his son, 44-year-old Paul Flores, cover up her alleged slaying.
Both men were arrested in connection with the case on Tuesday, with the elder Flores facing a charge of being an accessory after murder. He has since pleaded not guilty.
San Luis Obispo County prosecutors, in court documents obtained by the Tribune of San Luis Obispo, revealed Tuesday that detectives are “in possession of biological evidence that makes them believe the victim was buried underneath [Ruben Flores’] deck at one time.” They did not provide further details on the evidence nor did they reveal where they believe the body was moved to.
Recent searches at Ruben Flores’ home have included ground-penetrating radar, cadaver dogs as well as a range of power tools used to disassemble part of the deck in question. Authorities have also served more than 40 warrants at 16 location in the years since the 19-year-old disappeared.
Smart, a freshman at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, was last seen alive around 2 a.m. on May 25, 1996, leaving an off-campus party with Paul Flores, who has long maintained that he walked her part of the way home before returning to his own dorm. But authorities believe Flores actually brought Smart back to his room, where he killed her during a rape attempt.
Paul Flores has long been under suspicion from the earliest days of Smart’s disappearance. He has gone from being a “person of interest” to a “suspect” to “the prime suspect.” The suspected killer was arrested earlier this month at his home and ordered held without bail Monday.
His father, who has health problems, is currently in the San Luis Obispo jail on $250,000 bail.
With News Wire Services
