‘Prime suspect’ arrested in 1996 disappearance of California college student Kristin Smart, body not found
The “prime suspect” in the decades-old disappearance of California college student Kristin Smart was booked on a murder charge Tuesday, a month after cops used cadaver dogs to search his dad’s home.
Paul Flores, 44, was taken into custody in the Los Angeles coastal community of San Pedro and booked at 12:09 p.m., online jail records confirmed.
Flores’ 80-year-old dad, Ruben Flores, also was booked on a single charge of being an accessory to a felony after the fact, the online records said.
The son was a college student in San Luis Obispo County a quarter century ago and considered the last person to see Smart alive before she vanished.
He allegedly walked the 19-year-old freshman back to her dorm at California Polytechnic State University after an off-campus party on May 25, 1996.
San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson said searches of Flores family properties over the past few years turned up enough evidence to lead to the arrest.
He said the warrants remained sealed Tuesday, so he couldn’t discuss what exact physical evidence was collected in “at least two homes.”
“I will say this,” Parkinson said, “We have not recovered Kristin. We will continue to focus on finding her remains regardless of any court action. … We know that’s an important issue with the family.”
Parkinson said he spoke to Smart’s family twice Tuesday.
“I think they’re feeling a bit of relief, but as you can imagine, until we can return Kristin to them, this is not over,” he said. “Are we any closer? The answer is yes, I believe we are.”
A spokesman for the Smart family said, “This is an extremely emotional day.”
Investigators served another search warrant Tuesday at Ruben’s Arroyo Grande residence south of Cal Poly and about 75 miles north of Santa Barbara, KSBY-TV reported.
They appeared to be using hammers and a drill to disassemble a portion of the deck outside the home.
Multiple search warrants were served early last year on Paul Flores’ home in San Pedro and other sites in California and Washington State.
“We are encouraged by the news of today’s search of Ruben Flores’ property,” Smart’s family said in a statement last month posted on the “Find Kristin Smart” Facebook page.
“We appreciate the vigilance and professionalism of Sheriff Ian Parkinson and his department, and our family looks forward to learning more in the hours and days ahead,” the family said.
Widespread public interest in Smart’s fate grew in 2019 with the release of a popular podcast about the case, “Your Own Backyard.”
Parkinson credited the podcast Tuesday with bringing new evidence “to light” through witness interviews that led his investigators to interview a new key witness.
