‘Prime suspect’ arrested in student’s 1996 disappearance By BRIAN MELLEY, , Associated Press,
Published: April 13, 2021, 11:40am
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4 Photos San Luis Obispo Sheriff s Office personnel dig in an area in the backyard of the home of Ruben Flores, Tuesday, March 16, 2021, in Arroyo Grande, Calif. Flores is the father of Paul Flores, who remains the prime suspect in the disappearance of Kristin Smart in 1996. (AP Photo/Daniel Dreifuss) Photo Gallery
LOS ANGELES 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.
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.
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