SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — More than 24 years after she was reported missing when leaving an on-campus party, two suspects were arrested on Tuesday in connection to Kristin Smart's death.
Smart was 19 when she was reportedly last seen leaving a party at Cal Poly University, San Luis Obispo with Paul Flores. Her roommate reported her missing the following day.
Paul Flores, and his father, Ruben Flores, were arrested on Tuesday. Here is a timeline to understand what led to the latest update.
1996
Paul Flores told police Smart walked back to her room after arriving at his dorm, according to reporting by San Francisco Chronicle.
Flores reportedly had a black eye the morning after Smart disappeared. He told campus police that he got it during a basketball game.
Paul Flores later changed his story, saying that he got it while fixing his car. He claimed to friends he told police that because he worried law enforcement would think it "sound stupid' that he didn't know how he got his black eye.
2002
Smart was officially declared dead and the case was turned over to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office.
2016
The FBI excavated a site on the edge of the college campus on a hillside about half a mile away from where Smart was last seen with the hope of discovering her remains.
San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office's Spokesman Tony Cipolla told The Los Angeles Times FBI officers discovered "items of interest" but did not say what they were.
2020
The Stockton Record reported that Denise Smart, Kristin Smart's mother, was contacted by the FBI to expect a big announcement regarding the case.
San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Department conducted searches in two locations within the county. They also looked in Washington state and San Pedro.
The sheriff's department also discussed the work they did from 2011 to 2020:
- Served 18 search warrants
- Conducted physical evidence searches at nine locations
- Reexamination of every piece of physical evidence seized in the case
- Submitted 37 pieces of older evidence for modern DNA testing
- Recovered 140 new pieces of evidence
- Conducted 91 person-to-person interviews
- Wrote 364 supplemental reports
2021
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office searched Ruben Flores' home near the 700 block of White Court in Arroyo Grande in March. Cadaver dogs and ground-penetrating radar was used, according to a news release.
Paul and Ruben Flores were arrested on Tuesday. Smart's body still hasn't been found.
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