SLO Sheriff States Evidence Recovered but No Remains Found in Search for Kristin Smart

The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday, May 19, released new details about a recent court-authorized search at the Arroyo Grande property of Susan Flores tied to the disappearance and murder of Kristin Smart, saying investigators recovered “several items” of evidentiary value but did not find human remains.

Detectives used ground-penetrating radar and soil vapor science during the search in the 500 block of East Branch Street.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, soil scientists identified an area along the property’s side yard that produced results consistent with the possible presence of human remains.

On May 8, 2026, investigators obtained an additional warrant to excavate that specific area, removing large concrete pavers to access the site. Excavation continued on May 9, with teams carefully sifting soil for any evidence related to Smart.

While items considered evidentiary were collected and are now being analyzed, the Sheriff’s Office said no human remains were recovered.

The update follows the agency’s May 9 announcement that the search had concluded without locating Smart’s remains. One day earlier, Sheriff Ian Parkinson told reporters that soil testing at the property had produced positive results consistent with human decomposition, while cautioning that officials could not confirm whether those results were linked to Smart.

“The Sheriff’s Office remains fully committed to finding Kristin and bringing her home to her family,” the agency said Tuesday. No further information is available, and the Sheriff’s Office said it will not provide additional comments or updates at this time.

Investigators began executing the warrant Wednesday, May 6, collecting soil samples from the front and back yards of the Flores property and a neighboring parcel, and using ground-penetrating radar in the yard and inside the home to help pinpoint areas for potential DNA testing. Parkinson said the operation would continue until crews had either found Smart or gathered all available evidence.

Susan Flores has long been a person of interest, and the home has been searched at least twice before, including with ground-penetrating radar. Parkinson noted that today’s forensic tools are more advanced and said investigators believe Smart’s body may have been moved multiple times, a factor that has led authorities to revisit previously searched locations. While the warrant was active, Flores was not allowed to return home.

The current search echoes earlier forensic findings at another family property. In 2021, archaeologists who examined the Arroyo Grande home of Paul Flores’ father, Ruben Flores, reported a soil disturbance roughly the size of a casket and the presence of human blood; the blood was too degraded to obtain usable DNA.

Prosecutors later accused Ruben Flores of helping his son bury Smart and move her remains; he was acquitted of accessory after the fact in 2022.

Smart, a 19-year-old Cal Poly freshman, disappeared over Memorial Day weekend in 1996 after walking back from a party. Fellow student Paul Flores told police he last saw her near Grand Avenue and Perimeter Road on campus.

After a decades-long investigation, he was arrested in 2021 and convicted of first-degree murder in 2022. He was sentenced in March 2023 to 25 years to life in state prison; his conviction was affirmed by the Second District Court of Appeal in October 2025, and the California Supreme Court denied review in January 2026.

Officials say the latest operation underscores law enforcement’s commitment to finding Smart’s remains nearly three decades after she vanished. No arrests or new discoveries beyond the soil test results have been announced. Anyone with information is urged to contact San Luis Obispo County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-549-STOP (7867).