After more than thirty years Kristin Smart disappeared from a California college campus, his family is still searching – not for answers as to who killed him, but for the one thing that may finally bring them peace: his body.
Smart was killed in 1996, but his killer, Paul Floreshe was not sentenced until 2023. After Flores lost his final decision to overturn or commute his life sentence, Smart’s family made it clear that they are not done fighting for justice.
In May 2026, it appeared that a possible breakthrough in the case might have occurred after police obtained a search warrant for Flores’ mother’s home. However, Smart’s remains were ultimately not found at the residence.
Read on to know all about the case:
Kristin Smart Disappeared From California Polytechnic State University
Smart was only 19 years old when he was killed at the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo campus, where he had just finished his freshman year. Flores, who was also a student at the school, was the last to be seen leaving the party before he disappeared.
Although Flores was on the radar of investigators from the start, more than two decades passed before authorities made an arrest.
Opened Us Weekly‘s Revealedinvestigative reporter Kristin Thorne he went deep into the case when he was talking to him San Luis Obispo Tribune a reporter Chloe Joneswho compiled the Flores case and spoke with Smart’s parents.
Jones explained that Flores “has always been a person of interest since he went missing.” But detectives “didn’t treat it as a missing persons case when he first went missing.”
“A lot of evidence in his room disappeared, and this flawed investigation resulted in insufficient evidence to convict this man,” Jones said.
Kristin Smart’s Body Search
Years after Smart’s death, police received a tip that allowed them to obtain a search warrant for Flores’ father’s yard “where they found an empty grave with evidence of human remains.” Jones said the evidence was “the color of the earth.”
“They did a radar that went down and they found an anomaly in the ground, and the anomaly was about the size of a human grave, and when they dug up that anomaly to see what was there, they actually found it, like a bathtub ring,” he said. “They checked it, the bathtub ring was checked and it was found to have human blood.”
Even with that success, Smart’s body has never been found and his absence is a huge burden on his family.
“They don’t have a body yet, and all they want to do is have his body, lock him up to put him to sleep,” Jones said. “They are still very sad, still sad. They still feel that even though the case is over, they don’t have the closure they would like.”
Jones said the whereabouts of Smart’s body remain a mystery, although “his family will never give up” on finding him.
“The sheriff and the DA also said something about that, when they felt the case was still pending until they found his body and could help give the family the closure they needed,” Jones added.
The Arrest and Conviction of Paul Flores
Flores was arrested in 2021, more than two decades after Smart disappeared. He was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison in March 2023 after a jury found him guilty of murdering Smart.
The trial hinged on more than circumstantial evidence surrounding Smart’s disappearance. During the trial, the judge allowed two women to testify who said they were raped by Flores.
How 2 Female Testimonies Helped Convict Paul Flores
Evidence appears to be a turning point in this case.
“The testimony of the women who said they were raped by Paul Flores after Kristin’s murder was very strong. It connected with the judge, and it connected with the gallery,” said Jones. “They were both very affected by it, and they went through similar behaviors, where they were chased by Paul in a bar. Paul gave them a drink. They blacked out, got dizzy and Paul woke up on top of them.”
During another testimony, another woman said she had a ball in her mouth when she was raped by Flores.
“I think that was really influential evidence,” Jones continued. “In my discussion with the judges after the sentencing, they said that the two women who testified influenced their decision making in finding Paul guilty.”
During the investigation, prosecutors obtained a search warrant and were able to look at Flores’ computer. They found videos of Flores having sex with “women who appeared to be unconscious.” Additionally, one of the videos also showed a woman gagged with a football, and Jones explained that the judge allowed the prosecution to share one image of the woman during the trial.
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Jurors told Jones that testimony and video evidence “established a pattern of behavior” by Flores, as the women were described as unable to consent when they met him.
That pattern, jurors believed, mirrored what witnesses described seeing the night of Smart’s disappearance.
“According to people who saw Kristin at the party the night she disappeared, she was incredibly intoxicated and incredibly incoherent and incoherent and unable to walk,” Jones explained.
Paul Flores’ Appeal File Rejected
Flores has always insisted that he did not kill Smart.
Two years after Flores was convicted, his lawyers filed a motion to appeal the verdict, saying “the two women who testified” against Flores “should not have been allowed to do that” and that “the jury should never have been asked that testimony.”
Before the first appeal was dismissed in October 2025, Flores’ lawyers filed a second appeal. The second appeal was rejected in January 2026.
A New Search Warrant Was Issued May 2026 at the Home of Paul Flores’ Mother
Nearly 30 years after Smart’s disappearance, a search warrant was issued in connection with his death.
On May 6, 2026, deputies with the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at a home in the 500 block of East Branch Street. USA Today reported that the home belongs to Flores’ mother, Susan Flores.
Elizabeth Smart gave a glimpse into her life more than two decades after her kidnapping and rescue. Smart was kidnapped from her bedroom in 2002 by Brian David Mitchell when she was just 14 years old. With help from Mitchell’s wife, Wanda Barzee, Smart was imprisoned for a year while being physically and sexually abused. […]
The sheriff’s office confirmed that the investigation stemmed from a search warrant, signed by a Superior Court judge and related to Smart’s disappearance.
“The Sheriff’s Office remains committed to bringing Kristin home to her family,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. “No other information is available.”
While the agency did not share any additional information about the search at the time, they did share photos of officers outside the home, walking through the property’s outdoor garden and the garage that housed many household items.
Kristin Smart Is Missing From Paul Flores’ Mother’s House
On May 9, 2026, authorities announced in a press release that they had completed their search of Susan’s home and had not found Smart’s remains.
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office (SLO) added that it will review any evidence found during the search as the investigation continues.
“The Sheriff’s Office remains fully committed to finding Kristin and bringing her home to her family,” the statement concluded. “No further information is available. At this time, the Sheriff’s Office will not be commenting or providing any further updates regarding this investigation.”
This story was compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists.
