SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (AP) 鈥� Authorities served a search warrant Wednesday at a home connected to the man of killing 19-year-old college student Kristin Smart in 1996, according to law enforcement and media reports.
Her remains were never found and she was declared legally dead in 2002. Paul Flores was convicted in October 2022 and ultimately to 25 years to life in prison.
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff鈥檚 Office said in a statement that the search in the central coast town of Arroyo Grande is related to the ongoing investigation into Smart鈥檚 disappearance. Flores鈥� mother, Susan Flores, lives at the home, according to public records and reporting by a podcast that has closely followed the case.
鈥淭he Sheriff鈥檚 Office remains committed to bringing Kristin home to her family,鈥� the sheriff’s statement said. 鈥淣o further information is available.鈥�
The podcast, which helped investigators crack the case by bringing forward additional witnesses, first reported Wednesday’s search and said the home belongs to Flores’ mother. Attempts to reach Susan Flores for comment were not immediately successful.
Kristin Smart went missing from California Polytechnic State University in May 1996. Prosecutors alleged she was killed during an attempted rape and that the last person she was seen with was Flores, a fellow student.
Flores and his father, Ruben Flores, were arrested in 2021.
Prosecutors alleged Smart鈥檚 remains were buried on Ruben Flores鈥� property and later moved. He was acquitted of accessory charges. That property is different from the one searched on Wednesday.
Paul Flores was in March 2023 to prison, where he has been at least twice.
, a judge ruled that Paul Flores must pay just over $350,000 to Smart’s family for costs they incurred after her death.
The family has said it would forgo restitution if Flores would tell them where Kristin鈥檚 body was. Flores鈥� attorney, Harold Mesick, said in 2024 that the defense did not know where her remains are. Flores maintains his innocence.
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