Kristin Smart: What Happened to the Cal Poly Student?
Disclaimer: The article contains mentions of a missing case. Reader discretion is advised.
Kristin Smart’s 1996 disappearance from the Cal Poly campus recently made news after her family sued the school for negligence and wrongful death. According to CNN, Smart was a freshman at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, when she went missing more than two decades ago. Her body has never been found.
The lawsuit alleges that the university botched the investigation and allowed Smart’s killer to attend the school despite previous accusations against him. The missing woman’s classmate, Paul Flores, was a prime suspect for decades. Flored was the last person to see her on the day she went missing.
In April 2021, new evidence led detectives to Flores, which then resulted in his first-degree murder conviction a year later. He received a prison sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
Who was the suspect in Kristin Smart’s disappearance?
The New York Times reported that in May 1996, Kristin Smart, 19, left an off-campus party and walked home to her dormitory. She was never seen again, and her remains have never been found. But, in April 2021, nearly 25 years after the investigation first began, authorities announced the arrest of Paul Flores and his father, Ruben, in connection with her disappearance.
Authorities had identified Flores, Smart’s classmate at Cal Poly, as a “person of interest” during the initial investigation. He denied any involvement in her disappearance. However, Smart’s acquaintances revealed that they dropped her off at an unofficial fraternity house party. They claimed that Flores accompanied her home that night after she left the party.
Kristin Smart’s family filed a $40 million wrongful death lawsuit against Paul Flores in 1997, but he did not immediately face criminal charges. In November of that year, Flores refused to answer questions during a deposition, citing the Fifth Amendment.
The outlet reported that Smart’s family declared her dead in 2002. But the search and investigation continued. In February 2020, the authorities executed search warrants at multiple California and Washington State locations. One such location was Paul Flores’ Los Angeles home.
On April 13, 2021, authorities finally arrested Paul Flores and charged him with murder in Kristin Smart’s case. That same day, they arrested his father, Ruben, and charged him with being an accessory after the fact in the same case. The following day, San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow stated that Paul Flores “caused the death” of Smart “while in the commission of, or attempted, rape.” Dow further added that Ruben Flores helped to hide her remains.
The New York Times mentioned that in October 2022, a jury found Flores guilty of Smart’s murder. His father, Ruben, was found not guilty of helping to hide the victim’s body. In March 2023, Flores received a prison sentence of 25 years to life.
CBS 48 Hours has previously covered Kristin Smart’s 1996 disappearance in an episode.
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