Kristin Smart.
Paul Flores, who was long suspected of being involved in her disappearance, was taken into custody along with his father,
Ruben Flores.
Smart was last seen walking home from a party near her dorm at California Polytechnic State University on May 25, 1996. While her body was never found, officials declared Smart dead in 2002.
Paul Flores was the last person to see her alive and was questioned after she went missing. He has denied any involvement in her disappearance.
According to the
Los Angeles Times, investigators have been focusing on how Flores would have disposed of Smart s body. They knew he couldn t have done it alone and, during the past year, have been trying to determine how he would have moved her body. They examined several vehicles owned by Flores and his father in 1996, including two trucks and a VW Golf Cabriolet, looking for any evidence they were used to transport Smart before or after she died.
By BRIAN MELLEY
Associated Press
The âprime suspectâ was arrested Tuesday in the 25-year-old disappearance of a California college student and the San Luis Obispo sheriff planned to announce âmajor developmentsâ in the case.
Paul Flores, 44, who was the last person seen with Kristin Smart before she vanished in 1996, was taken into custody in the Los Angeles area. His father, Ruben Flores, 80, was arrested as an accessory at his Arroyo Grande home, where sheriffâs investigators conducted another search.
Defense attorney Robert Sanger confirmed Paul Flores was arrested in the Smart case, though no details were immediately available on the charges he faces. Sanger declined further comment.
Kristin Smart case: Paul Flores, Smart s former classmate, charged with murder
By Mary Stringini
Kristin Smart case: Paul Flores arrested in the Cal Poly students’ 1996 disappearance
Nearly twenty-five years after Kristin Smart disappeared after a college party near California Polytechnic State University s campus, authorities Tuesday arrested her former classmate, Paul Flores, on suspicion of murder. Flores was the last person to see her alive in 1996 before she vanished.
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office said that Paul Flores, 44, was taken into custody in the Los Angeles area Tuesday morning. He was booked into the San Luis Obispo County Jail just after noon Tuesday on a single charge of murder with no bail. He is expected to be arraigned on Thursday.
The prime suspect was arrested Tuesday in the 25-year-old disappearance of a California college student and the San Luis Obispo sheriff planned to announce major developments in the case.
Paul Flores, 44, who was the last person seen with Kristin Smart before she vanished in 1996, was taken into custody in the Los Angeles area. His father, Ruben Flores, 80, was arrested as an accessory at his Arroyo Grande home, where sheriff s investigators conducted another search.
Defense attorney Robert Sanger confirmed Paul Flores was arrested in the Smart case, though no details were immediately available on the charges he faces. Mr Sanger declined further comment.
Kristin Smart.
Paul Flores, who was long suspected of being involved in her disappearance, was taken into custody along with his father,
Ruben Flores.
Smart was last seen walking home from a party near her dorm at California Polytechnic State University on May 25, 1996. While her body was never found, officials declared Smart dead in 2002.
Paul Flores was the last person to see her alive and was questioned after she went missing. He has denied any involvement in her disappearance.
According to the
Los Angeles Times, investigators have been focusing on how Flores would have disposed of Smart s body. They knew he couldn t have done it alone and, during the past year, have been trying to determine how he would have moved her body. They examined several vehicles owned by Flores and his father in 1996, including two trucks and a VW Golf Cabriolet, looking for any evidence they were used to transport Smart before or after she died.