Kristin Smart search ends with no remains found as detectives analyze evidence

Investigators successful California person concluded a hunt astatine a location tied to convicted slayer Paul Flores successful the decades-old disappearance of Kristin Smart, saying they did not retrieve her remains but volition proceed analyzing grounds collected astatine the property.

The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office said Saturday that detectives wrapped up their hunt astatine a location connected East Branch Street successful Arroyo Grande, which is linked to the 1996 disappearance of Smart.

"We did not retrieve Kristin Smart," the sheriff’s bureau said successful a statement. "Detectives volition beryllium evaluating immoderate grounds we person recovered to assistance successful the investigation. The Sheriff’s Office remains afloat committed to uncovering Kristin and bringing her location to her family."

Officials besides said nary further updates volition beryllium provided astatine this time.

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Paul Flores was convicted of sidesplitting Kristin Smart, a California assemblage pupil who vanished successful 1996. (Axel Koester/Sygma via Getty Images and San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office)

The improvement comes aft authorities revealed earlier successful the week that investigators had uncovered grounds suggesting imaginable quality remains astatine the property, which is associated with Paul Flores’ mother, Susan Flores.

San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson said during a quality league Friday that ungraded investigating indicated compounds accordant with a decomposing quality body.

"We judge that… quality remains were determination astatine 1 time, oregon inactive there," Parkinson said. "We deliberation there’s grounds to enactment quality remains."

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Investigators with the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office tin beryllium seen searching a location connected to Kristin Smart's disappearance. (San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office)

"I’m not going to spell into the details, different than conscionable to accidental with ungraded tests, it’s astir the compounds successful the ungraded that are related to a human, decomposing body," helium added.

The renewed hunt effort marked the latest improvement successful the astir three-decade-old lawsuit that has gripped California’s Central Coast.

Kristin Smart was a 19-year-old pupil astatine California Polytechnic State University erstwhile she disappeared successful May 1996 aft attending an off-campus party. Prosecutors aboriginal said Paul Flores killed her during an attempted rape successful his dorm room.

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The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office said successful a connection investigators executed a hunt warrant astatine a location connected to the Kristin Smart disappearance. (San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office)

Paul Flores, present 49, was convicted of first-degree execution successful 2022 and sentenced to 25 years to beingness successful prison, but Smart’s assemblage has ne'er been found.

San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow antecedently said his bureau remains committed to locating Smart’s remains, adding that authorities volition proceed utilizing each lawful instrumentality disposable to bring answers to her family.

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Despite the latest hunt yielding nary confirmed remains, authorities accidental they stay committed to uncovering Smart and bringing her location to her family.

Fox News Digital’s Adam Sabes contributed to this report.