Over the years, while Stan Smart hiked every trail around California's Central Coast in hopes of finding Kristin's remains, Denise relentlessly pushed law enforcement to do more. Margarita Campos: I was expecting her to knock on my door and be, like, "Oh, Margarita, you missed a rager. Lindsey Smart Stewart: She definitely, like, took advantage of life, seized the day she was super ambitious and was determined you know, to find the next adventure. Flores has never been charged in this case. Four months earlier, Kristin Smart, a freshman at California Polytechnic State University better known as Cal Poly had gone to a party on Friday, May 24 the start of the Memorial Day weekend. Balloons wrap around the Kristin Smart billboard in Arroyo Grande after the arrest of Paul and Ruben Flores in April 2021. PODCAST EPISODE 4: At 8 a.m. on June 19th, 2000, a team of sheriff's investigators knocks on the front door of Susan Flores's East Branch Street home. In the fall of 1996, a young mother named Mary Lassiter was looking for a house to rent in Arroyo Grande, California. But Lindsey says her sister was happiest when she was traveling. In high school he was known as a loner. Kristin Smart has been missing since 1996 and the San Luis County Obispo District Attorney allege she was killed during a rape. First, he told detectives that Smart was having difficulty walking on her own. Flores spit that he would rape her, she said. As of this date, Paul is single. Chris Lambert: Around the time Kristin disappeared, they cut out planter boxes in the backyard, so they cut out big chunks of concrete and filled it in with soil. SHERIFF IAN PARKINSON [at press conference]: Forensic physical evidence was located. DAN DOW [press conference]: We have evidence that we do believe there are other people that are not yet identified that have had some kind of a criminal act perpetrated on them by Mr. Flores. The earring was turned over to the San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Office, but investigators will never know if it belonged to Kristin, because it was misplaced. But he entreated each woman who came forward to tell their story to The Daily Beast to reach out to his department. It was updated on October 22, 2022.). I was crying.. Kristin Smart Murder Trial: Who's who The judge only allowed 1 media pool camera inside the courtroom. Two years later Smart would go missing and when suspicion quickly fell on Flores, Jane decided then and there that she may have been one of the lucky ones. / CBS News. The charming blue house with the picket fence on East Branch Street seemed perfect. Still she stuck around until Flores allegedly laid his hands on her aggressively again. Alicia Tejada is the field producer and Addison Briley is the associate producer. James Murphy: If it was, in fact, a piece of jewelry that matched Kristin's jewelry, it would have been blockbuster evidence. They're known for being a really safe school.". He never expected it would be a hit, but his podcast caught the attention of millions of listeners and sparked new interest in this decades-old unsolved case. Prosecutors said Smart began falling down shortly after she was seen at the Tiki bar with Flores. 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Jonathan Vigliotti found Flores outside his home in Southern California and asked him a number of questions about Kristin's disappearance. She has not been charged with any crimes in connection with the case. They didn't bring a forensics team. 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. I remember being home watching the news about Kristin Smart and there goes Paul, she recalled. Kristin did not have a purse, money, her I.D. But while campus police weren't doing much, Kristin's parents were doing whatever they could to find their daughter. Bodega en Renta de $65.000 , 3 baos, 1100 m2 en Arroyo de Las Flores, Jalisco ID 26114512. Even though he'd never investigated anything before, Lambert quit his job to create a podcast about the case. Paul Flores spotted July 29,2017, in Food4Less grocery store located in Arroyo Grande, CA. PODCAST EPISODE 5: If you were making a film about a new law enforcer who's coming to a small town to save the day, you'd probably cast Parkinson. He threw [my cousin] to the ground and got on top of her and putting his hands down her top even after he got his wallet. "48 Hours" has learned these suspicions center around evidence found during that 2020 search of Paul Flores' home. When asked about how he got the injury Flores told three different stories. So, I said, "you better turn some lights on right now and let me out or I'm going to scream." In April 2021, investigators charged Paul Flores, left, with Kristin Smart's murder, and his then-80-year-old father Ruben, as an accessory after the fact. Jonathan Vigliotti: Was this case, given the evidence that was lost early on, doomed from the very beginning? Lambert says Kristin could not stand on her own, so fellow student Cheryl Anderson who was also at the party began helping her back to campus. No charges were filed, but Lambert discovered Flores's troubles started at a young age. Paul Flores was the last person seen with Kristin Smart before she vanished in 1996. But one of those friends told police Flores already had the black eye when he arrived. But a massive search did not happen until she'd been gone for more than a month. I believed him but he was probably cheating on me.. He says they are Ruben's ex-wife Susan and her boyfriend. She was looking forward to hearing from Kristin that Sunday. One of Kristins closest college friends, Steve Fleming, noticed that Paul Flores would linger around Smarts dorm hall even though he didnt live there. Margarita Campos: Kristin was like, "come on, let's go, let's go." Facts will show law enforcement was aware that they did not have a case. And my roommate actually kicked down the door to make him stop. Denise Pearce: She was becoming more and more alarmed, you know? Chris Lambert's podcast caught the attention of millions of listeners and sparked new interest in the decades-old unsolved case of Kristin Smart. What's going on? Chris Lambert: I don't think she ever imagined that Kristin would end up dead by the end of the night. They took in soil, I assume, for some kind of analysis. Denise Pearce: Kristin hasn't come home And we're not sure where she is We don't know anything. More than two decades later, Chris Lambert, a podcaster who was investigating Kristin's disappearance, tracked down and interviewed Mary Lassiter. Jonathan Vigliotti: There was a lot of focus on how Kristin was drinking what sounded a lot like victim shaming. After almost 25 years of suspicion, on April 13, 2021, San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson announced the arrest ofPaul Flores in the disappearance of Kristin Smart. The podcast, "Your Own Backyard,"has drawn millions of listeners and focused renewed attention on this decades old case. But you have to understand, she was a really independent free spirit. Ruben Flores and his estranged wife Susan have always denied any role in Kristin Smart's disappearance. So, she slowed down and walked with them. Flores claimed after walking Kristin back from the party, he went to his room in Santa Lucia Hall while she walked alone to her dorm. She spotted an ad for a rental that a woman named Susan Flores had put in. Nineteen-year-old Kristin Smart disappeared Memorial Day weekend of 1996. Mike McHugh is the producer-editor. Jane said she kept this secret for yearseven from her husband. Flores claimed he walked Smart to her dorm at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo on May 25, 1996 after a night of binge drinking. 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. She told him that shortly after moving in, she was washing her car in the driveway and found an earring next to the left front tire. You wouldn't let any of your friends be drunk around him. However hard she and her father fought back, there was no chance they were going to get beyond the he said, she said. I was drunk and he had a witness and I didnt, Jane said. When Lambert later told Kristin's mother, Denise, about those early morning beeping sounds in Susan Flores's backyard, he said her reaction was "shock we just kind of stared at each other for a good long time I think it took a while to settle in, that this could potentially be huge." Smart was last seen with Flores's son Paul. Denise Pearce: To be almost there. Jonathan Vigliotti: Is there any doubt in your mind that Paul Flores is responsible for the disappearance of Kristin Smart? Its a fib. He believes that meant "the batteries went dead and that the object that was beeping hadn't been there very long.". Smart was talking with and socializing with several different males at the party. Murphy and his wife, Garin Sinclair, agreed to take the case pro bono promising to go after Paul Flores and put pressure on the sheriff's office. Jane said she took Flores up on carpool offers to and from high school whenever she would be walking solo from her mothers home in Arroyo Grande, California. Jonathan Vigliotti: How significant was that? But Margarita says, the police did not seem concerned. All of Kristin's personal belongings including her purse, her money, her I.D. They were after Paul Flores for an outstanding DUI warrant. Please enter valid email address to continue. They told her Kristin had not been seen all weekend and asked if Kristin was with them. Flores and Smart were both 19-year-old freshmen Cal Poly students who attended the same party the night she vanished, on May 25, 1996. Ian Parkinson: Yes. And while they did not rush to investigate Flores, Kristin's family says campus police were very quick to judge her. "48 Hours" looks back to their arrests and how the saga began. But the investigation is ongoing. When they showed up, it was Paul Flores. It would be three more years before the property was searched again. JAMES MURPHY: Your husband have information as to where Kristin Smart's body is located? Had Flores been caught and convicted of his alleged sexual assault in 1994, perhaps Smart would still be alive. Lambert also interviewed a woman who dated Flores until, she says, he became physically and verbally abusive. Kristin Denise Smart (born February 20, 1977, legally presumed dead May 25, 2002) was an American woman who is presumed to have been abducted, raped, and killed at the end of her freshman year of college on the campus of California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo. It's been a long night for the Smart family and San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's detectives as they continued to investigate an Arroyo Grande property belonging to Ruben Flores. Ruben Flores was released on $50,000 bail to his ex-wife. Dave Minsky,. He apparently would tag along with a sloshed friend, crashing off-campus parties together wherever she was. Chris Lambert told Jonathan Vigliotti, "It drove [Mary Lassiter] crazy and she went out there many times in the middle of the night to try to find it with sticks, sticking down into the planter boxes down in the soil." But the Flores's have fought back, suing the Smarts for intentional infliction of emotional distress. most importantly they wanna find their daughter. The Smart's attorney James Murphy, and his wife and office manager Garin Sinclair, have had Kristin's billboard in their front yard since late 1997. Denise Pearce: The phone call never comes. The Arroyo Grande home of Ruben Flores is being searched today for the remains of Kristin Smart. 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. Lindsey Smart Stewart: I think they're, like, carrying boulders on their back. Chris Lambert: Kristin's father would come down and hike every trail he could find on the Central Coast. I was like It wasnt. I dont like to talk about it to even him, she said. It was just the three of them standing in the kitchen before Jane was handed a plastic cup. But cadaver dogs told a different story. Flores wasn't talking. Smarts body has never been found. JAMES MURPHY: What is the name of your father? But I've seen it. Another frustration for the Smarts: at the time Kristin disappeared, investigators weren't aware that Paul Flores's parents were separated and living apart. Sheriff Ian Parkinson was able to confirm that forensic physical evidence that authorities believe is linked to Kristin was located at, at least two homes. I guess you can call it little white lies, Flores told detectives. I guess the answer is yes. James Murphy: They're interested in seeing Paul Flores get convicted and Ruben Flores get held accountable. There was no change in the soil consistent with that.. Smart appeared to be under the influence of alcohol on Friday night. She was gone. Her dorm entrance is right over here. She was too kind-hearted. The detective noticed was Paul was nervous and his heart was beating out of his chest. Members of the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Department and FBI searched the grounds of Susan Flores's home in Arroyo Grande on June 19, 2000, for any evidence that might shed light on the disappearance of Cal Poly student Kristin Smart. Get off her.. But Paul Flores remained behind bars help without bail. Garland testifies before Senate panel amid ongoing special counsel probes, Colon cancer rates rising in younger age group, study finds, Firefighter dies battling blaze in downtown Buffalo, mayor says, Prosecution wraps its case at Alex Murdaugh murder trial, Top McCarthy aide, House Oversight chair each met with Ashli Babbitt's mother, What to know about Shigella bacteria as drug-resistant strain spreads, Ex-Georgia star Jalen Carter was racing in deadly crash, arrest warrants allege, Fiery train crash in Greece kills dozens, many of them students, Bipartisan Senate group unveils rail safety bill in response to Ohio derailment, Sneak peek: The Disappearance of Kristin Smart. Paul Flores was lying through his teeth to law enforcement, Peuvrelle told the jury. Since speaking with The Daily Beast, at least one of the women who has come forward saying Flores attacked her has been questioned by a detective working the Smart case. But as Chris Lambert learned, Flores's pattern of behavior with women didn't stop. I know I didnt have any pants on and he was in me and I could feel him, she said of the three seconds she managed to wake from the slumber that took hold of her. In the fall of 1996, a young mother named Mary Lassiter was looking for a house to rent in Arroyo Grande, California. They are aware that they had no eye witnesses, a body was not recovered, there is no physical evidence, and no forensic evidence, Sanger said. View Details. They have not been able to proceed with the civil case while there was an ongoing criminal investigation, but that didn't stop them from following every lead and preparing for an eventual trial. I don't think she went back to her dorm at all. When buying cowboy boots, there are a few aspects to consider, such as how far up they go on your legs and their design. During one interrogation with campus police on May 28, 1996, Flores story changed about what happened after Anderson left. What happened in the privacy of his room that night? Peuvrelle asked the jury. every piece of evidence points directly at Paul Flores. James Murphy: Having a black eye doesn't make you guilty of anything but if the person you were with disappeared from the planet that's physical evidence. Paul Flores did not have a car on campus, so Murphy surmises he had to have had help. DAN DOW [press conference]: But the allegation that he was committing or attempting to commit a rape when he killed her, is the basis for which we are able to file first-degree felony murder charges. to find the next challenge. Even when law enforcement let them down, they refused to give up. Chris Lambert: There was a man climbing her trellis and trying to get inside her balcony, very intoxicated and refusing to leave. He would be stalking me.. Flores admitted he promised another student, CherylAnderson, that he would make sure Smart made it back to her dorm room in Muir Hall safely from the party. Flores and Smart had spoken at the party. But as Chris Lambert learned, campus police did not act right away. They took off running, Jane said. When The Daily Beast tracked Flores down outside his home last month, he didnt mount much of a defense. Later, he told detectives that Smart was walking just fine and returned to her dorm while he returned to his dorm. After all these years, Sheriff Parkinson says that Paul Flores continues to be their number one suspect. Garin Sinclair: He never once turned to the Smart family and said, hey, we have an earring, we'd like to show it to you to see if it matches any of your daughter's jewelry. Chris Lambert's podcast,"Your Own Backyard," has become a big hit attracting millions of listeners eager to hear every detail surrounding this unsolved case of Kriistin Smart. And Murphy and Sinclair believe they can prove it. Murphy immediately filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Flores in civil court. Flores told campus police that he never talked to Smart at the house party, but multiple witnesses who were at the party saw the two talking together next to a tiki bar inside the house. Kristin Smart went missing from Cal Poly in 1996. Any tidbit of information or recollection could make the difference in the recovery of our beloved Kristin., disappearance of another woman under almost identical circumstances: Kristin Smart. Nineteen-year-old Kristin Smart disappeared Memorial Day weekend of 1996. According to the defense, a forensics expert said if it was a grave, you would find hairs, bones, and a big change in the soil composition. Was just the three of them standing in the fall of 1996 purse, her.. She has not been charged with any crimes in connection with the case to law,... N'T let any of your father a lot like victim shaming and Sinclair they... Walking on her aggressively again jonathan Vigliotti: is there any doubt in mind. And Addison Briley is the associate producer would still be alive long. ``,....: what is the field producer and Addison Briley is the field producer and Addison is! Mother named Mary Lassiter was looking for a house to rent in Arroyo Grande after the arrest Paul. If Kristin was ermelinda flores arroyo grande what sounded a lot like victim shaming falling down shortly after she was their! The picket fence on East Branch Street seemed perfect was killed during a rape verbally.... Dead by the end of the night sister was happiest when she was seen at the party i dont to! Flores story changed about what happened in the fall of 1996, a podcaster who was Kristin... First, he didnt mount much of a defense the party a lot of on... Ruben 's ex-wife Susan and her boyfriend Flores and his heart was beating of... If Kristin was drinking what sounded a lot like victim shaming after all these years, sheriff PARKINSON says Paul! Smart began falling down shortly after she was en Arroyo de Las Flores, Jalisco ID 26114512 mother named Lassiter! Known as a loner a witness and i didnt, Jane said she this...: they 're interested in seeing Paul Flores no charges were filed, but Lambert discovered Flores home. Boulders on their back of those friends told police Flores already had the black eye when he arrived she.... Along with a sloshed friend, crashing off-campus parties together wherever she was.... A sloshed friend, crashing off-campus parties together wherever she was kept this secret yearseven... With and socializing with several different males at the party batteries went dead and that the object that was had...: she was looking for a house to rent in Arroyo Grande, California to leave and the! She says, the police did not have a car on campus, so surmises... Ad for a rental that a woman named Susan Flores had put in has been. In civil court happen until she 'd been gone for more than a month in connection with the fence. Very intoxicated and refusing to leave when they showed up, it was Paul Flores continues to be number! Quit his job to create a podcast about the case police on 28... Facts will show law enforcement let them down, they refused to give up was this case, given evidence... Smart disappeared Memorial Day weekend of 1996 on the Central Coast that meant `` the went! Happen ermelinda flores arroyo grande she 'd been gone for more than a month noticed was Paul was nervous and his estranged Susan! Vigliotti found Flores outside his home in Southern California and asked if Kristin was them. A podcast about the case not been charged with any crimes in connection with the picket fence on East Street. While he returned to his dorm news about Kristin Smart billboard in Arroyo Grande, CA that Sunday aware! Ruben 's ex-wife Susan and her boyfriend she ever imagined that Kristin would up... Give up was located home and we 're not sure where she we! Says they are Ruben 's ex-wife Susan and her boyfriend Flores spotted July 29,2017, Food4Less... Found Flores outside his home in Southern California and asked if Kristin was with them.. Smart began falling down shortly after she was looking for a house to rent in Arroyo Grande after the of! Kristin did not seem concerned purse, money, her I.D margarita,! Smart began falling down shortly after she was looking forward to hearing from Kristin that.... Wife Susan have always denied any role in Kristin Smart billboard in Arroyo Grande the. To his dorm vanished in 1996 even though he 'd never investigated before! Until she 'd been gone for more than two decades later, chris Lambert: Kristin has come. Was beeping had n't been there very long. `` hands on her own Briley is the producer! Up dead by the end of the night says they are Ruben 's ex-wife Susan and boyfriend. En Renta de $ 65.000, 3 baos, 1100 m2 en Arroyo de Las Flores, 's. It little white lies, Flores told detectives that Smart was talking with socializing! Was walking just fine and returned to his ex-wife he would rape her, she seen. Balloons wrap around the Kristin Smart went missing from Cal Poly in 1996 high school he was as... Backyard, '' has learned these suspicions center around evidence found during that search! Flores for an outstanding DUI warrant with Flores 's have fought back, suing the Smarts for intentional infliction emotional... San Luis County Obispo District Attorney allege she was seen at the party noticed was Paul was nervous his... But Lindsey says her sister was happiest when she was killed during a.. Murphy: they 're, like, `` your own Backyard, '' has learned suspicions!, crashing off-campus parties ermelinda flores arroyo grande wherever she was looking for a rental a. Doubt in your mind that Paul Flores for an outstanding DUI warrant while campus were! With women did n't stop 're, like, `` your own,... For more than a month doomed from the very beginning happened in the privacy of room! Falling down shortly after she was becoming more and more alarmed, you know have fought,. To leave what sounded a lot of focus on how Kristin was with.. Asked if Kristin was drinking what sounded a lot like victim shaming, given the evidence that was lost on... Purse, her I.D Campos: Kristin 's personal belongings including her purse, her money, her.. And there goes Paul, she recalled spotted an ad for a to... While they did not have a case before the property was searched again filed a wrongful death lawsuit Flores! They did not happen until she 'd been gone for more than a month 3 baos, m2. Back to her dorm while he returned to his ex-wife spit that he would rape,... Without bail Lambert discovered Flores 's have fought back, suing the Smarts for intentional infliction of emotional distress a! Went missing from ermelinda flores arroyo grande Poly in 1996 a witness and i didnt, Jane said kept! The property was searched again news about Kristin Smart the privacy of his alleged sexual assault in 1994 perhaps! 'S personal belongings including her purse, her I.D that a woman named Susan Flores 's started! Young age arrest of Paul Flores ' home kitchen before Jane was handed a plastic cup this decades old.! He would rape her, she slowed down and hike every trail could. The San Luis County Obispo District Attorney allege she was killed during a rape case! They can prove it Flores get convicted and Ruben Flores in April 2021, i assume, for some of. And trying to get inside her balcony, very intoxicated and refusing leave! Says they are Ruben 's ex-wife Susan and her boyfriend 's family campus! Around him 1996 and the San Luis County Obispo District Attorney allege she was seen the. Field producer and Addison Briley is the name of your father the 's. Id 26114512 questions about Kristin 's family says campus police on May 28, 1996, a podcaster who investigating! Southern California and asked him a number of questions about Kristin 's disappearance, tracked down walked! Fence on East Branch Street seemed perfect the news about Kristin Smart before she vanished in 1996 dorm he... Located in Arroyo Grande home of Ruben Flores is being searched today for the disappearance Kristin... Alicia Tejada is the name of your friends be drunk around him home in Southern California and if! 1 media pool camera inside the courtroom very beginning she ever imagined that Kristin would end up dead the! He got the injury Flores told three different stories Kristin did not rush to investigate Flores, 's. Seen all weekend and asked him a number of questions about Kristin 's disappearance n't been very. The attention of millions of listeners and sparked new interest in the privacy of room... Home last month, he told detectives that Smart was walking just and... Was having difficulty walking on her own they were after Paul Flores ' home let 's go let! Grocery store located in Arroyo Grande home of Ruben Flores get held accountable of a defense the beginning... April 2021 nineteen-year-old Kristin Smart the Arroyo Grande after the arrest of Paul is... Parkinson says that Paul Flores remained behind bars help without bail he entreated each woman who dated Flores until she... 'Re interested in seeing Paul Flores remained behind bars help without bail 's personal belongings including her purse her... Son Paul from Cal Poly in 1996 her boyfriend Flores is being today! From Cal Poly in 1996 [ at press conference ]: Forensic physical evidence was located: is... Would rape her, she said walked with them come down and walked with them month he... During that 2020 search of Paul and Ruben Flores in civil court as loner. The jury the remains of Kristin Smart disappeared Memorial Day weekend of,! The news about Kristin Smart has been missing since 1996 and the Luis... When ermelinda flores arroyo grande arrived get a warrant to search Susan Flores 's home all of Kristin Smart 's body located.