Kristen was in her first year at Cal Poly when she vanished in 1996. They didn't bring a forensics team. Like the rest of the family, Kristin was an athlete. Susan's house was finally searched in March 1997 nine months after Kristin disappeared but nothing was found. Flores defense team moves to recuse the San Luis Obispo County District Attorneys Office from the Smart case because prosecutor Peuvrelle and others have been seen wearing purple clothing, Smarts favorite color. But as Chris Lambert learned, Flores's pattern of behavior with women didn't stop. Berkeley. Smart appeared to be under the influence of alcohol on Friday night. He also said that law enforcement leaked information to "Your Own Backyard" podcaster Chris Lambert. About 45 minutes after Kristen got off of work on the day she vanished, she was seen on the 2nd f. When Kristin Smart disappeared, Paul Flores's parents Susan and Ruben were separated and living apart. But as Chris Lambert learned, campus police did not act right away. Lindsey Smart Stewart: She had traveled the world before she even made it to college. Kristin did not have a purse, money, her I.D. How 'Your Own Backyard' podcast led to arrests in Kristin Smart murder A trailer was reportedly parked at Ruben's residence at odd hours and Paul's mother, Susan Flores, and her boyfriend were there. Nineteen-year-old Cal Poly student Kristin Smart went missing after a campus party 25 years ago, and, this summer, her case is finally getting its day in court. A missing-person report was filed with the campus police on May 28. The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time But it's Susan Flores's concrete backyard that initially received a lot of attention. Just days after taking over the investigation, the San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Office brought several dogs trained to detect human remains, to the Cal Poly dorms. And when they did . Kristin Smart went missing on May 25, 1996 while attending California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and has not been heard from since. He built the home on White Court for Ruben and Susan Flores in 1991. People are watching Ruben Flores and Susan Flores and Paul Flores. And the body's not there now. They took in soil, I assume, for some kind of analysis. Human Remains Possibly Found In Home Of Missing Woman Kristen Modafferi 'Keep her memory alive': Organizer encourages community to spread The 18- year old coed from North Carolina was taking a summer photography class at the University of Califorina Berkeley when she vanished June 23rd, 1997. She and all who have worked so hard toward this day deserve nothing less.. In the crowd, taking it all in, was that podcaster, Chris Lambert. SUSAN FLORES: [Long pause, grabs water bottle] Of course not. Axel Koester/Sygma via Getty Images. The search for Kristin Smart never ends for her family Even worse they never sealed his dorm room. In the late 1990s, the. The Kristen Modafferi Mystery: 20 years later, private investigators Margarita Campos: Kristin was like, "come on, let's go, let's go." Prior to the arrests, in February 2020, Flores home, his parents home, and his sisters home were searched by police. And the complaint has some explosive claims about what led investigators to focus under Ruben's deck in the first place. In 2011, the Smarts hoped those boulders would become a little lighter when Ian Parkinson became the . "Should he be allowed bail, it is a virtual certainty that he would use his freedom to continue his attempts to help Paul Flores thwart prosecution in this case and continue to hide her remains.. James Murphy: Paul Flores had a reputation amongst the girls that knew him at Cal Poly as being a creeper that he was always trying to hit on women. "YOUR OWN BACKYARD" PODCAST: EPISODE 1: It's a cold and cloudy winter afternoon in San Luis Obispo and I'm retracing missing Cal Poly student Kristin Smart's last known steps. The elder Flores is charged with accessory after the fact to the crime of murder for allegedly helping Paul conceal Smarts body. But Murphy says there were other incidents that should have raised alarm bells about him with law enforcement from the very beginning. A college student at North Carolina State University, ABC 7 writes that Modafferi had received a scholarship to work and live in a different city for the summer. Onuma was evicted from a Kaneohe, Hawaii residence after his connection to the Kristen Modafferi . Marital Status: Single Characteristics: Caucasian female with brown hair and eyes. His father was found not guilty of helping to hide her body. Paul invoked the Fifth Amendment when the DAs office subpoenaed him to testify before a grand jury in 1996 and after the Smarts filed a $40 million wrongful-death lawsuit against him; during a 1997 deposition, he again pleaded the Fifth. Murphy alleges four nights later, strange activity was seen at Ruben's house. Judge van Rooyen objects to this assertion, though: Just because (Lamberts) been served does not necessarily mean he should be excluded, he says. Margarita Campos: I was expecting her to knock on my door and be, like, "Oh, Margarita, you missed a rager. To think that you're going to finally get some resolution, and then it doesn't happen the way it's supposed to. And might have connected Kristin to Susan Flores's house, says James Murphy. The investigation seemed to be hampered from the start by a series of missteps by campus police beginning with their assumption that Kristin was off having fun and ignoring worried friends who said she was missing. And yes, we did find physical evidence at, at least two homes. Through the years, the Smarts have kept pressure on the Flores family. Margarita Campos: I'll never forget her shadow against the building, this apartment complex, just standing like kind of cross-armed with the long leg And she was just kind of like looking at me like, [sighs] you're really walking away now, like you're really, you're leaving? But Margarita says, the police did not seem concerned. Im not going to exclude a member of the media (for doing their job).. By the time Cal Poly police began investigating, Kristin had been gone for four days. DAN DOW [press conference]: The allegation against Ruben is that he helped to conceal Kristen's body after the murder was committed. Margarita Campos: To this day, like, I was like, why why did I just let her go by herself? Also on the stand Tuesday were another cadaver dog handler, an expert in fiber evidence and a district attorney's office investigator. Chris Lambert: So much was lost in those first few days where if that very first phone call was taken seriously answers might have been uncovered the first week. A separate jury for Ruben Flores started deliberating on Oct. 5. He'd go through tunnels, under bridges, looking for his daughter and expecting best case scenario. On June 23, 1997, Kristen left the coffee shop where she worked, Spinelli's Coffee in San Francisco's Crocker Galleria. James Murphy: If it was, in fact, a piece of jewelry that matched Kristin's jewelry, it would have been blockbuster evidence. Devastating. Kristin Smart was a 19-year-old freshman at Cal Poly, California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, when she disappeared after a walk home from an off-campus party early in the. On April 13, 2021, almost 25 years after Kristin Smart went missing, longtime suspect Paul Flores, 44, was arrested at his home in San Pedro, California, and charged with murder. Cole reportedly testified that Ruben asked why Susan Flores, who is Pauls mother, and her boyfriend were also being swabbed when he was the only one who committed a felony. Another frustration for the Smarts: at the time Kristin disappeared, investigators weren't aware that Paul Flores's parents were separated and living apart. I knocked on her door, and I thought she was just sleeping, or she went out and about, you know? Denise Pearce: The investigation was completely botched by the campus police. Kristen was in her first year at Cal Poly when she vanished in 1996. Chris Lambert: The only thing he would confirm on tape is that his name is Paul Flores. Clockwise from left, Kristin, Denise, Stan, Matt and Lindsey. Axel Koester/Sygma via Getty Images The. PODCAST EPISODE 1: I googled Kristin Smart's name every few years. And for the first time clues about what may have happened to Kristin Smart. 3. Ken Blum is the editor. Oct. 18, 2022 In the spring of 1996, Kristin Smart, a 19-year-old college student, left an off-campus party in San Luis Obispo, Calif., and walked home to her dormitory. Plans & Pricing ; Podcast Statistics; PowerPress Plugin . Kristen has facial dimples. The defense questions Hudson about her drug use, but she says she was not doing drugs at the time. In a statement, the Smart family described a long wait for this bittersweet day.. Chris Lambert: He actually hit his eye on his steering wheel in the middle of the night while changing his stereo. Ian Parkinson: Yes. So, they did not immediately get a warrant to search Susan Flores's home. In April 2021, investigators finally put the pieces of the puzzle together and decided they had enough to charge the then-44-year-old Paul Flores with Kristin's murder, and his then-80-year-old father with being an accessory after the fact. Chris Lambert: Paul keeps stopping along the way and letting Cheryl Anderson know, you can go on ahead. On Oct. 18, Paul Flores was found guilty of murdering Ms. Smart. Produced by Lisa Freed. The Kristin Smart Scholarship has been established by her family to help other college bound women pursue their dreams. The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time Case It was turned over to a detective with the San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Office, but Garin Sinclair says, the Smarts never knew it existed until the Lassiters were deposed in January 1997. With them is a group of FBI evidence response team members and a search warrant. For the next 25 years, I did whatever I could and looked for answers wherever I could, Denise Smart told the court, according to CBS 13, a local television station. JAMES MURPHY: What is your present residence address? In March, the Oakland Police Department released a statement saying that it had worked with the FBI and found no evidence indicating Durst was involved. Instead, on Monday, May 27, Denise Pearce says the Smarts got a call from Cal Poly's campus police asking if Kristin was with them. James Murphy: It was just a sad phone call to have somebody say, our daughter disappeared and we think she's the victim of foul play and we'd like to pursue the guy that we think is responsible. Cole said a search of it revealed "suspicious activity.". It was on Memorial Day weekend 1996 that their 19-year-old daughter Kristin Smart disappeared.