Kristin Smart Case Update: Authorities Search Killer’s Mother’s Property

Nearly three decades after Kristin Smart disappeared, investigators have returned to a property connected to the Flores family in hopes of finally locating her remains.

According to the Los Angeles Times, authorities served a search warrant on May 7, 2026, at the Arroyo Grande, Calif., home of Susan Flores amid the ongoing investigation into Smart’s disappearance.

The renewed search comes years after her son, Paul Flores, was convicted in connection with Smart’s murder.

The renewed search reportedly followed soil vapor sampling conducted by a team of researchers who detected volatile organic compounds potentially associated with decomposing human remains. Smart's body has never been found.

The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the investigation is tied to Smart’s disappearance and said authorities remain committed to bringing her home to her family.

“The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office is conducting an additional investigation into the property in the 500 block of East Branch Street in Arroyo Grande,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. “This investigation is related to the Kristin Smart disappearance,” adding, “The Sheriff’s Office remains committed to bringing Kristin home to her family.”

Smart disappeared in May 1996 while attending California Polytechnic State University, also known as Cal Poly, in San Luis Obispo, Calif.

The 19-year-old college student was last seen after attending an off-campus Memorial Day weekend party. Investigators later said Flores was the last person seen walking Smart toward her dorm before she vanished.

For years, Smart’s disappearance remained one of California’s most widely followed unsolved missing persons cases. Although authorities repeatedly searched properties connected to the Flores family, Smart's remains were never located.

In 2021, Flores and his father, Ruben Flores, were arrested in connection with the case. Prosecutors alleged Flores killed Smart during an attempted sexual assault and that his dad later helped conceal her body.

In 2022, Flores was convicted of first-degree murder and later sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. As for his father, he was acquitted of accessory charges.

Despite the conviction, investigators have continued searching for Smart's remains. According to the Los Angeles Times, experts involved in the recent soil vapor sampling research believe they may have detected evidence consistent with human decomposition near the Flores property.

No, Kristin is not related to Elizabeth Smart. Although both women became nationally known missing persons cases, they are entirely separate individuals with no known family connection.

Smart disappeared in California in 1996 while attending college at Cal Poly. Her case remained unsolved for decades before Flores was convicted of her murder in 2022.

Elizabeth, meanwhile, was abducted from her family’s home in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 2002 when she was 14 years old. She was rescued alive nine months later, and her kidnappers were eventually convicted.

Interest in Smart’s case increased significantly in recent years following the release of the podcast Your Own Backyard by Chris Lambert. The podcast renewed public attention surrounding the decades-old investigation and examined evidence tied to the Flores family.

Authorities have not announced whether any human remains were recovered during the latest search of Susan Flores’ property.