Kristin Smart Update: Authorities Searching Home Of South Bay Killer's Mom

ARROYO GRANDE, CA — Authorities on Wednesday were searching the home of the mother of Paul Flores, the South Bay man who was convicted of killing Kristin Smart in 1996, according to reports.

The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office announced it was executing a search warrant as part of an investigation of the property in the 500 block of East Branch Street in Arroyo Grande in connection with Smart’s disappearance.

District Attorney Dan Dow confirmed the site was the home of Susan Flores. The “Your Own Backyard” podcast, which helped investigators crack the case by bringing forward additional witnesses, first reported the search and said the home belongs to Paul Flores' mother.

The remains of Smart, 19, were never found and she was declared legally dead in 2002. Paul Flores was convicted in October 2022 and ultimately sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

Paul Flores lived for more than a decade in San Pedro and a Redondo Beach woman testified in 2022 that she was raped by him in 2008 after they met outside a local bar.

“While those responsible for Kristin’s death — and those with knowledge of her whereabouts — could provide answers at any time, we remain firmly committed to using every lawful tool available to locate Kristin’s remains and to support her family until she is brought home,” Dow said Wednesday in a prepared statement.

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 Paul Flores, a fellow student.

Paul Flores and his father, Ruben Flores, were arrested in 2021.
Prosecutors alleged Smart’s remains were buried on Ruben Flores’ property and later moved. He was acquitted of accessory charges. That property is different from the one searched on Wednesday.

Paul Flores was sentenced in March 2023 to prison, where he has been physically attacked at least twice.

In 2024, 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 Paul Flores would tell them where Kristin’s body was. Paul Flores’ attorney, Harold Mesick, said in 2024 that the defense did not know where her remains are. Paul Flores maintains his innocence.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.