San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson said at a press conference Friday that soil testing conducted during a search at Susan Flores’ Arroyo Grande home has shown positive results consistent with human decomposition.
The sheriff’s office served a search warrant at the home on Wednesday related to the Kristin Smart murder case.
Susan Flores is the mother of Paul Flores, the man convicted of Smart’s murder.
Smart disappeared from the Cal Poly campus in May 1996. Paul Flores was the last person to be seen with her. While Smart's body has never been found, Flores was found guilty of her murder in 2022 and is now serving a sentence of 25 years to life.
Despite the latest search results, Parkinson said, "We have not discovered Kristin yet, but our search goes on."
He added, “We believe, based on what we’re looking at, scientific evidence, we believe that human remains were there at one time,” but they can’t confirm it was Kristin.
Since Wednesday, crews have been seen testing the soil in the front and back yards of the Flores home, as well as the front and back yards of a neighboring property.
Sheriff Parkinson confirmed that crews are looking for compounds in the soil related to human decomposition. He also said ground-penetrating radar has been used at the site, including inside the house.
Parkinson said Susan Flores' home has been searched at least twice before, including with ground-penetrating radar, but he said the technology used in past searches is not the same as it is today. He also said it's believed that Kristin's body has been moved several times and just because a location was searched previously, it doesn't mean they won't search it again.
"We are not leaving that house until we have checked everything," Parkinson said, adding that he doesn't know how long investigators will be there. He said they are "prepared to go as long as it takes" until they find Kristin's remains or some other evidence.
In the meantime, Susan Flores — who Parkinson said is considered a person of interest in the case — is not allowed to return home.
Parkinson said the latest search warrant was based on investigative and scientific evidence, including witness information, but he would not elaborate on specifics.
When asked if investigators planned to dig up any areas of the property, he said, “We will dig anywhere that the evidence shows us.”
Parkinson added that he has been in contact with the Smart family, updating them on the investigation.
