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. Please enter valid email address to continue. "48 Hours" looks back to their arrests and how the saga began. But while campus police weren't doing much, Kristin's parents were doing whatever they could to find their daughter. James Murphy: To see them in custody was a feeling of great joy for me. In the interrogation video played for the jury, detectives can be heard asking Flores, If anybody lies as much as you have, about something as serious as this is, what does that tell you?. but I knew that I could try to do a small part. She never saw accepting the rides as anything but wholesome. We both were kids at the same school and so I felt comfortable. 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. Detectives asked Flores about a visible black eye on his face. How could she have gone out of town? Lindsey Smart Stewart: Right. In high school he was known as a loner. Another frustration for the Smarts: at the time Kristin disappeared, investigators weren't aware that Paul Flores's parents were separated and living apart. Kristin Smart has been missing since 1996 and the San Luis County Obispo District Attorney allege she was killed during a rape. All of Kristin's personal belongings including her purse, her money, her I.D. "YOUR OWN BACKYARD" PODCAST: EPISODE 1: It's a cold and cloudy winter afternoon in San Luis Obispo and I'm retracing missing Cal Poly student Kristin Smart's last known steps. That witness initially came forward to Chris Lambert, who passed the information to the sheriff's office and Murphy. 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. Susan Flores and her boyfriend were never charged in the case. This 9-room home sits on 40,000 square feet of land, which was purchased by the Flores family in 1990. The podcast, "Your Own Backyard,"has drawn millions of listeners and focused renewed attention on this decades old case. 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. The next thing I know is the cops telling me We cant do anything because [Paul] and his friend are saying she was drunk and it was consensual., But Jane said she fought to get them to reconsider. Paul Flores was the last person seen with Kristin Smart before she vanished in 1996. Little is known since the proceedings are kept secret, but no charges were ever filed. Once the dogs were let inside the room, they alerted to a corner of Flores bed mattress. most importantly they wanna find their daughter. Ian Parkinson: Yes. "48 Hours" agreed. Ken Blum is the editor. On Monday, deputies served a sealed search warrant at the home of Ruben Flores. She was saved by their male roommate, who barged in because of Lauras blood-curdling screams. Multiple attempts to reach Flores and his parents to comment on the new accusations were unsuccessful. It is believed she is deceased, but there is no evidence of what happened to her after Paul Flores left her. The Lassisters say soon after, strange postcards began showing up in their mailbox. He was required to wear an electronic ankle bracelet. And they told Lambert they weren't surprised when they heard about Flores's connection to Kristin's disappearance. But Parkinson acknowledges it hasn't been easy. Lindsey Smart Stewart: I think they're, like, carrying boulders on their back. Chris Lambert: I don't think she ever imagined that Kristin would end up dead by the end of the night. PAUL FLORES: On the advice of my attorney . I think they're just waiting to see what the outcome is going to be. Clockwise from left, Kristin, Denise, Stan, Matt and Lindsey. Wiggot: pfo5vr0 total 1100 m2 800 m2 de area prod. Regresar a la bsqueda. After they broke up, Laura did a little sleuthing and discovered her ex-boyfriend was accused in Smarts vanishing. And yes, we did find physical evidence at, at least two homes. Remember, Flores's room had been emptied and thoroughly cleaned. His podcast, "Your Own Backyard," has become a big hit attracting millions of listeners eager to hear every detail surrounding this unsolved case. A jury acquitted Ruben Flores of the charge of being an accessory after the fact. Me, my sister, my cousinPaul has no limits, she said, requesting anonymity. I dont like to talk about that day.. Denise Pearce: Kristin hasn't come home And we're not sure where she is We don't know anything. The Kristin Smart Scholarship has been established by her family to help other college bound women pursue their dreams. Get off her.. On October 18, 2022, Paul Flores was found guilty of first-degree murder. These new allegations against Paul Flores are very troubling and deserve to be thoroughly investigated. We were standing by the washer and dryer and we were arguing and he shouted, No! and slapped my arm, Laura said. Some of those women who did not want their real names used told Lambert about their encounters with him. He has never talked. Stan and Denise Smart, Kristins parents, sent The Daily Beast a statement praising the women for coming forward to share their stories and hope it leads to a break in their missing daughters case. PODCAST EPISODE 1: I googled Kristin Smart's name every few years. every piece of evidence points directly at Paul Flores. They took in soil, I assume, for some kind of analysis. For more than two decades, her family, friends, and supporters searched for answers and for justice. He gets his arm around her torso and her arm around his neck, and he's helping her walk. No-no-no. In the meantime, Paul Flores moved to Southern California, where he bounced from job to job. James Murphy: I'd love to do anything to end their suffering. And for a few moments Jane came to and saw Flores having his way with her. Early on, a small group of volunteers also looked for Kristin. And here's your key." Susan Flores, an Arroyo Grande resident whose son Paul is the prime suspect in Smart's disappearance, broke her silence after new searches in the haunting case last week. ", Although suspicion surrounded Flores almost from the beginning, any hopes for an arrest were dashed in May 1997 when then-Sheriff Ed Williams made an admission to the San Luis Obispo Telegraph: "We need Paul Flores to tell us what happened to Kristin Smart so absent something from Mr. Flores, I don't see us completing this case.". Produced by Lisa Freed. Like what may have been discovered in March 2021 when investigators searched Ruben Flores' house using cadaver dogs and ground penetrating radar. The detective noticed was Paul was nervous and his heart was beating out of his chest. But every Sunday when she called her parents, they encouraged her to stick it out. They didn't look at the Flores family's vehicles. He claimed he didnt even know her name, Peuvrelle said. Chris Lambert: They just have never given up and are never going to give up on their daughter. Our roommate came in and yelled Leave her alone. Just two years later Flores was named as the sole suspect in the disappearance of another woman under almost identical circumstances: Kristin Smart. James Murphy: Paul Flores had a reputation amongst the girls that knew him at Cal Poly as being a creeper that he was always trying to hit on women. 1996 was before the #MeToo movement, Peuvrelle told the jury. But Sarah kneed Flores in the groin and kicked him in the shin before dashing off into the party. Margarita Campos: To this day, like, I was like, why why did I just let her go by herself? Used to live: San Luis Obispo CA, Arroyo Grande CA, Torrance CA. But Murphy says there were other incidents that should have raised alarm bells about him with law enforcement from the very beginning. DAN DOW [press conference]: We don't have evidence sufficient to charge anyone else at this time. Laura said Flores worked a construction job while attending school but that he was very secretive and she suspected he was in college forever so that his mommy kept paying for his housing and classes.. At the time, she was a 19-year-old freshman at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, who'd grown up in Stockton, Calif. On the night of her disappearance, she was spotted at a house party, which she left with three people. 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. James Murphy: It was just a sad phone call to have somebody say, our daughter disappeared and we think she's the victim of foul play and we'd like to pursue the guy that we think is responsible. Smart, a native of Stockton, was nearing the end of her. Susan Flores's backyard has been the focus of widespread speculation. 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." And I was, like, "uh OK, fine.". A single woman's earring. When Kristin Smart disappeared, Paul Flores's parents Susan and Ruben were separated and living apart. Chris Lambert: They did a significant amount of digging underneath the house. What happens next? That could have been me.. and I was like, "Noooo.". PODCAST EPISODE 4: So, I walk him up to his sister's apartment, and all of a sudden, he just like picked me up, carried me inside, turned around and shut the apartment door, and locked it. Lawyers representing Paul Flores, a man found guilty last year of murdering Kristin Smart in San Luis Obispo in 1996, filed motions last week to dismiss the jury verdict and for a new trial. People who were there have said she was intoxicated. James Murphy: Somebody found an earring that they say was Kristin Smart's jewelry in the driveway. But it's Susan Flores's concrete backyard that initially received a lot of attention. Ruben Flores, 80, has been booked on an accessory charge and is being held on $250,000 bail. Just five months before Kristin disappeared, San Luis Obispo Police received a call from a student living off campus. The sheriff's office still wasn't convinced they had enough evidence against Flores. Chris Lambert: So, if you believe Paul's story, he goes into his dorm room here. / CBS News. Chris Lambert: A young couple moves into it with their kid. The fact is, there is a lot of sort of evidence. I say that because you will see, when you actually listen to what comes out, its not what it seems to be, Sanger said. Flores father is now charged with helping cover up the homicide by burying Smarts body in his Arroyo Grande homes backyard. Nineteen-year-old Kristin Smart disappeared Memorial Day weekend of 1996. He grabbed me down there and while Im yelling at him my girlfriend threw a piece of gum at his face and he pushes her down., At this point every male at the party joined in to jump Flores, who fled, she said, adding, Boom, he disappeared., That same year, Sarah said, Flores pursued her again at a friends birthday party. They believe they can prove Paul Flores is responsible for the disappearance of Kristin Smart. He would be stalking me.. My mom opened the door and she cries, Oh my God!. A now-retired FBI agent believes those remains were once buried at the home of Floress mother. I said, Stop it. Murphy alleges four nights later, strange activity was seen at Ruben's house. But Mary Lassiter says the earring matched the necklace Kristin is seen wearing on the billboard. I would turn around and he would be right there lurking, the woman, referred to here by a pseudonym, said. Kristin did not have a purse, money, her I.D. That turned out to be college. Margarita Campos: I mean, she was gone. Prosecutors Think Paul Flores Tried to Rape Kristin Smart in Dorm Room Before Killing Her On April 13, Paul's father, Ruben Flores, 80, was also arrested and charged with being an accessory. Balloons wrap around the Kristin Smart billboard in Arroyo Grande after the arrest of Paul and Ruben Flores in April 2021. Chris Lambert: I wish I knew why. He called his father at 9:47 a.m. on Sunday, May 26, 1996. Like his black eye, seen faintly in a mug shot taken by the Arroyo Grande Police just by chance two days after Kristin vanished. But as Chris Lambert learned, Flores's pattern of behavior with women didn't stop. One day, Jane was congregating in front of the high school when a male friend approached and warned her about one particular junior. Related to: Ruben R Flores, Ermelinda M Thomas, Paul R Flores, Rachel H Flores, Ruben Flores. His parents have always denied knowing anything about Kristin's disappearance and insist their son was not involved. They didn't bring a forensics team. Flores roommate was out of town that weekend, and Paul knew he had three full days in that room (alone), Peuvrelle told the jury. I remember thinking he was right behind me in the doorway and I think he was trying to get to the door before I could shut it., Sarah said she was quickly manhandled by Flores. DAN DOW [press conference]: The allegation against Ruben is that he helped to conceal Kristen's body after the murder was committed. Chris Lambert spoke with some women who knew Flores back then. 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. Ruben Flores and his estranged wife Susan have always denied any role in Kristin Smart's disappearance. But the investigation is ongoing. And that's what I've been doing for a long, long time, along with a lot of other people. A woman nearby screamed at Flores to get off her and threatened to call the cops, she said. Mary Lassiter says the earring she found in the driveway matched the necklace Kristin Smart is seen wearing on this billboard. Meanwhile, the FBI, who recently excavated earth at Cal Poly to look for Smarts remains, referred comment to the sheriffs office. When buying cowboy boots, there are a few aspects to consider, such as how far up they go on your legs and their design. Chris Lambert: I personally think that wherever Kristin went, Paul was there with her. 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. James Murphy: they let the dog in, the dog makes a beeline to the bed of Paul Flores. The charming blue house with the picket fence on East Branch Street seemed perfect. In October 1996, Mary and her family moved in. A break in the case happened in 2020 when sheriffs deputies wire-tapped the phones of Flores, his father, and his mother to record their private conversations. We just, "do you know anything about it". Chris Lambert: He actually hit his eye on his steering wheel in the middle of the night while changing his stereo. Classes were difficult, she was trying to fit in, and she missed her family. Even though he'd never investigated anything before, Lambert quit his job to create a podcast about the case. And while they did not rush to investigate Flores, Kristin's family says campus police were very quick to judge her. If you come near her again I will kill you!, His buddy pushed Paul real hard and he fell through a desk before he ran for his life.. JAMES MURPHY: Does your son have any information as to where Kristin Smart's body is located? It had been the focus of widespread speculation for more than two decades especially her planter boxes. Empresa. I was like, Who the hell do you think you are?. That mother, Mary Lassiter, described it to Chris Lambert. But to fully understand Chris Lambert's contribution, you have to go back to the beginning. Lindsey Smart Stewart: She had traveled the world before she even made it to college. He returned later that Friday night and they drove to his friends home which Jane described as sparely furnished. He hired a detective to work full time on the case, and over the past nine years deputies have carried out searches, conducted new interviews, and gathered additional evidence. 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. Paul Flores and his father both pleaded not guilty to all charges at their arraignment. The Kristin Smart disappearance: After 26 years, Paul Flores is convicted of murder. More than two decades after Kristin Smart vanished, Sheriff Ian Parkinson says that Paul Flores, left, remains the only suspect in her disappearance. Margarita Campos: I was expecting her to knock on my door and be, like, "Oh, Margarita, you missed a rager. Jonathan Vigliotti: How did you know she hadn't been back? Whatever happened in those early hours, one thing is indisputable: Kristin Smart has never been seen again. They got to the parking lot of an apartment complex. Murphy and Sinclair promised the Smarts the billboard will stay until their daughter is found. She loved swimming and skiing. The interrogation was recorded just days after Smarts college friends alerted police that she was missing. 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. Chris Lambert: Paul worked with a number of women that he made incredibly uncomfortable girls who he tried to make a pass at sexually, girls that he tried to force to kiss him. 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. I have this PTSD fear of someone kicking the door in.. I was like Oh my God. James Murphy: Every day. Flores spit that he would rape her, she said. The accusations didnt stop with classmates: Flores allegedly couldnt restrain himself around his own kin. Ann-Marie Christian: became friends with Kristin in elementary school. Even worse they never sealed his dorm room. A popular true-crime podcast, Your Own Backyard, revived public interest in Smarts disappearance. She spent a summer in London, was an exchange student in Venezuela, and a lifeguard at a camp in Hawaii. They were after Paul Flores for an outstanding DUI warrant. Jane said she kept this secret for yearseven from her husband. I also brought them witnesses that they had no interest in whatsoever. By the time they inspected Flores's room, Kristin had been gone for 16 days. According to a county probation bail report obtained by the San Luis Obispo Tribune, "biological evidence" was found under Ruben's deck. View Details. After the four students had walked about halfway back to the dorms, Paul Flores told Davis and Anderson, Dont worry I got her, Ill take her from here, according to prosecutors. By the end of the evening she was found passed out on the lawn next door and needed help to get back to the dorm. First, he told detectives that Smart was having difficulty walking on her own. Ann-Marie Christian: Her parents reminded me of my parents. They're known for being a really safe school.". Neither the ex-boyfriend nor Sarah saw Flores again until they read The Daily Beast story on Kristin Smarts disappearance, where Floress mugshot appeared. San Luis Obispo County. More critical evidence was seized when investigators used ground-penetratingly radar that found a grave where Smarts body was once buried in the Flores familys backyard, according to prosecutors. I never realized its the same guy that harassed [Sarah], he said. Jonathan Vigliotti [with Lambert outside of the the dorms]: Paul and Kristin then make their way here. I was throwing up and they were saying Oh this bitch! and This bitch better not throw up on me.. And these girls are inviting us out. Often, Sarah would be at one party or another and there was Flores. The Arroyo Grande home of Ruben Flores is being searched today for the remains of Kristin Smart. Susan's house was finally searched in March 1997 nine months after Kristin disappeared but nothing was found. I drank this drink and I dont know what it was but let me tell you something the next thing you know I was passed out, Jane said. It's, like, she has nothing on her. She regretfully denounced them as cruel rumors at the time. The Smarts' younger daughter, Lindsey, described her parents to Vigliotti: "I think they're like carrying boulders on their backs.". Authorities made clear that they plan to use Flores' alleged predatory behavior against him. They had become close friends despite their differences. It wasn't until Kristin's roommate returned to their dorm room, that Margarita realized Kristin never came home. Her parents, Denise and Stan were both educators who encouraged their kids' passions. He wouldn't answer a single thing. Back in San Luis Obispo, the Smarts, feeling ignored by the sheriff's office, continued a relentless campaign to get them to do more to find their daughter. By the time they called the Cal Poly campus police, Kristin had been missing for more than 48 hours. They left me there and knock on my moms door really hard and then ran off, Jane, who is telling her story for first time, said. Join Facebook to connect with Ermelinda Thomas and others you may know. Facebook gives people the. The next morning, Margarita waited to hear from Kristin. 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." (No video or audio). Kristin Smart and Paul Flores were briefly seen speaking to each other during the party.