A spokesman for Kristin Smart’s family said Tuesday that police have taken two men into custody after making a break in the case of the college freshman who went missing in the spring of 1996 and is thought to have been killed.
Paul Flores was arrested by the police and charged with one count of murder in connection with Smart’s disappearance about 25 years ago from the Cal Poly campus.
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Paul’s father, Ruben Flores, was also Picked up by the Police and Charged with being an Accomplice to Murder.
The arrests are the most important part of one of the most well-known missing person cases in the U.S., and they will help the Smart family, who haven’t been able to bury their missing daughter, find peace.
Sheriff Ian Parkinson of San Luis Obispo County said, “I hope this is the first step toward justice for the Smart family.” “I want peace and fairness for everyone in the community, but especially for Kristin.”
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Segale said that when the family heard the news, there were “a lot of really emotional moments.”
Segale said, “A lot of prayers, shock, excitement, happiness, and, of course, sadness.” “It’s sad that this has been happening for 25 years. The Smarts had not been able to bury their daughter. “There was no end to it.”
Kristin Smart was last seen on May 25, 1996, near her dorm at California Polytechnic University. Cal Poly is in San Luis Obispo, a quiet and beautiful town on California’s Central Coast.
She went missing after leaving a fraternity party that night. Paul Flores, one of three Cal Poly students who helped Smart walk home to her dorm after the off-campus party, was the last person to see her alive.
After Flores told the other two students that he would take Smart home safely, they left her with him.
Flores told the police that he walked Smart to his dorm and then left her to walk the rest of the way to the Muir Hall dorm on her own. She hasn’t been seen since and was declared dead in 2002.
At the Time She Went Missing
Smart was a 19-year-old freshman who didn’t have any ID, money, credit cards, or extra clothes. Flores and the other two students who went home with Smart had been interviewed over and over, but they didn’t say much.
In 2016, the FBI used cadaver dogs to dig up a whole hillside near the Cal Poly campus after getting a tip that Smart was buried there. Officials haven’t said yet if the things they found at three different dig sites on campus helped lead to the break in the case.
Law enforcement officials searched Paul Flores’s house in the Southern California city of San Pedro last year, but did not make an arrest.
Last month, police used cadaver dogs and radar to search the home of Paul’s father, Ruben Flores. During the search, Paul Flores was held at home, but he was let go when it was over.
Sheriff Parkinson wouldn’t say what evidence was found during the two searches, but he did say that evidence was found during the whole series of searches.
Parkinson said at a press conference on Tuesday, “We found proof that at least two homes were used.”
Parkinson also said that Smart’s body was not found during Either search.
“We haven’t found Kristin yet,” he said. “I think the Smart family is feeling better today, but this thing isn’t over until we find Kristin.”
Parkinson said that the case against Paul Flores doesn’t depend on finding the body. He pointed out that people are often found guilty of murder even when the body isn’t found.
Paul Flores’ home in San Pedro and Ruben Flores’ home in Arroyo Grande are still being searched by police.
Parkinson also thanked musician Christopher Lambert, who recently made an 8-part podcast about Smart’s disappearance that brought the case back to people’s minds.
Parkinson said, “What Chris did with his podcast was take a local story and make it national and even international. It did lead to some useful information, so I think it was a good thing.”
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Conclusion
In particular, the sheriff’s office talked to one of the podcasters, and other people came forward with information or proof because of how popular the podcast was.
Parkinson said, “Most of us weren’t part of this agency when all this happened, but the Cal Poly and Central Coast communities have been watching this case closely and hoping for news. I want this to bring some relief. It’s not the end of the case, but it’s a big step.”