A summary of mainstream reporting, plus the facts and perspectives it leaves out. A more honest account of each story.
Back to all stories

Kristin Smart Search Ends At Arroyo Grande Home With No Remains Found

The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office said it completed a search at an Arroyo Grande home on Saturday, May 9, 2026, without recovering Kristin Smart's remains.[1]

The search, begun earlier in the week after a new warrant, targeted the East Branch Street home of Susan Flores, the mother of convicted murderer Paul Flores.[1] Investigators used ground-penetrating radar and soil testing, and said scientific evidence suggested human remains may once have been present at the property.[1]

Paul Flores was convicted in 2022 of murdering Smart, who disappeared in 1996 while a student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and he is appealing his conviction.[1]

  1. CBS News
Cold Cases and Missing Persons Courts and Crime
Show source details & analysis (1 source)

📌 Key Facts

  • On Saturday, May 9, 2026, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office announced it had completed a search at an Arroyo Grande home without recovering Kristin Smart's remains.
  • The search, begun earlier in the week after a new warrant, targeted the East Branch Street home of Susan Flores, mother of convicted murderer Paul Flores.
  • Investigators used ground-penetrating radar and soil testing and say scientific evidence suggested human remains may once have been present at the property.
  • Paul Flores was convicted in 2022 of murdering Smart, who disappeared in 1996 while a student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and he is appealing his conviction.

📰 Source Timeline (1)

Follow how coverage of this story developed over time