In the Kristin Smart case, key questions remain after 3 decades - CNN

Now, new questions are emerging as authorities have concluded their most recent search at the home of the mother of Paul Flores – the man convicted of Smart’s murder – and say they have not recovered Smart’s remains after new soil testing had returned signs of human remains. Will other locations be searched or searched again with new techniques? Will evidence they say they are still evaluating lead them in new directions?

The quest for answers in the case has captivated the public’s attention ever since the college freshman vanished from California Polytechnic State University’s San Luis Obispo campus over Memorial Day weekend in 1996. A decadeslong investigation led to the trial and conviction in 2022 of Paul Flores for her murder.

Still, key questions have stood in the way of the Smart family’s pursuit of some semblance of closure and their hope to “finally lay her to rest in the presence of those who love her.”

What prompted the latest search?

The new search at the home of Susan Flores underscored a renewed commitment to finding answers in the Smart case.

“Until we have Kristin, everything is still wide-open,” San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson told reporters Friday.

Susan Flores’ Arroyo Grande home has been searched multiple times during the 30-year investigation. But Parkinson said there have since been advances in the soil science and the ground-penetrating radar investigators used to scour the property.

CNN reached out to attorneys who previously represented the Flores family and to Susan Flores but did not hear back.

30 years after Kristin Smart vanished, a new search renews hope for answers. Here’s what we know

Last week, investigators descended on Flores’ mother’s home, combing through the packed garage and examining the deck.

“Kristin has been moved, and we don’t know how many times she’s been moved and to where she’s moved, and so just because somebody’s house was searched doesn’t mean that we’re not going back there, because she could have been moved back there thinking that it’s a safe place,” the sheriff told reporters before later announcing Saturday the search had concluded without recovering Smart.

Authorities had a search warrant permitting them to return to the home based on “investigative leads and evidence,” the sheriff previously said, as well as “information that was derived from what we have to deem as a witness.”

Parkinson would not disclose what new information enabled investigators to get the latest warrant.

A Sheriff’s Office spokesperson told CNN the warrant permitting authorities to enter and search the property remains sealed, meaning the underlying evidence presented to the judge is not yet public.

What did investigators find?

Smart’s remains were not recovered in the latest search in Arroyo Grande, the sheriff’s office said Saturday while announcing the search had been concluded.

The agency did not elaborate on the search at the home, only saying any evidence recovered would be sent for evaluation to “aid in the investigation.”

“The Sheriff’s Office remains fully committed to finding Kristin and bringing her home to her family,” the sheriff’s office said Saturday.

The sheriff had previously said evidence indicated human remains “were there at one time or still there,” but could not say whether they were Smart’s.

The home’s yard was described by the sheriff as “a very small area back there to search, but also, as you can see, it’s quite crowded with stuff,” which complicated their efforts.

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What led to signs of human remains at the home?

Advances in soil science were key to the latest search after new soil testing returned some indications of human remains, Parkinson said.

Investigators also used ground-penetrating radar – technology that uses sound waves to map structures below the ground – to scour the property, according to Parkinson.

Soil samples are collected and analyzed for human DNA at a local lab, Parkinson said.

“We’re also conducting soil tests and that’s kind of the scientific part. I’m not going to go into the details other than to just say … it’s about the compounds in the soil that are related to a human decomposing body,” the sheriff said previously.

Tim Nelligan, an expert in soil vapor testing, told The Associated Press last week he was on the premises, gathering samples in Susan Flores’ yard as well as a neighbor’s yard.