Alissa Orozco
ARROYO GRANDE, Calif. (KEYT) – On Friday morning, Sheriff Ian Parkinson from the San Luis Obispo provided an update in the continued search to find Kristin Smart, the Cal Poly freshman who disappeared nearly 30 years ago.
On Wednesday, investigators began searching the home of Susan Flores, the mother of the man convicted of murdering Smart back in 1996. During Friday’s conference, Sheriff Parkinson said a search warrant was granted due to probable cause, but would not go into details about what possible leads or evidence led them to Flores’ Arroyo Grande home.
The sheriff confirmed the use of GPR, ground-penetrating radar, soil testing and measurements at Flores’ home and the neighboring property.
Sheriff Parkinson shared that soil samples collected from both properties showed signs of decomposition, but can not confirm they are the remains of Kristin Smart.
“We believe that based on what we’re looking at evidence-wise, scientific evidence that a human remains were there at one time were still there. So we can’t call it Kristen, but you know, we think there’s, there’s evidence to support human remains there at one time.”
Up until now, the sheriff’s department has not shared any details into the search, but it was the topic of discussion at today’s 9:00am conference.
Sheriff Parkinson inherited the case when he came into office in 2011, making a commitment to the public and the Smart family to continue the search for Kristin Smart. Since then, several searches have been conducted for evidence of Kristin’s remains and in 2022 Paul Flores was found guilty by a Monterey County jury of first-degree murder.
Sheriff Parkinson says Wednesday’s search warrant is what is known as a “kick-out” warrant, meaning Susan Flores has been ordered to leave the home and can not return until the search is over.
As of Friday morning, investigators have not located Kristin Smart.
“We are not leaving that house until we’ve checked everything,” said Parkinson.
When asked how long the search was expected to last, Sheriff Parkinson told the press: “as long as it takes.”
Following the press conference, the Smart family released the following statement:
“We remain hopeful that this current search will be successful and look forward to the outcome. Our family greatly appreciates the efforts, dedication, and commitment of Sheriff Ian Parkinson, Detective Clint Cole, the San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Department, and the technical experts assisting with the execution of this search. Finally, we continue to feel the tremendous support of the local community and all the people far beyond the Central Coast who provide us with great strength to continue this journey to bring Kristin home.”
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