Documents violence · sexual violence — written to inform, not to shock.
Illustrative
Kristin Denise Smart was born February 20, 1977, in Augsburg, Bavaria, West Germany, to Stan and Denise Smart, both teachers of children of American military personnel. She grew up in Stockton, California, graduated from Lincoln High School there in 1995, and worked as a lifeguard and camp counselor in Hawaii before enrolling that year at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly).
On the night of May 24, 1996, near the end of her first year at Cal Poly, Smart walked alone to an off-campus birthday party where she knew no one. At about 2 a.m. on May 25, two fellow students found her passed out on a neighbor's lawn and began walking her toward her dormitory. A third student, Paul Flores, joined them partway and offered to walk her the rest of the way, since his dormitory was closer to hers. Flores later told investigators he walked Smart only as far as his own dormitory, Santa Lucia Hall, before letting her continue alone to hers, Muir Hall — the last reported sighting of her. Smart was not carrying money or identification, and neither she nor her remains have since been found.
Cal Poly's university police initially treated her absence as an unannounced trip and delayed notifying local law enforcement; she was not formally reported missing for about a week despite earlier calls from her family. Volunteer searches did not locate her, and cadaver-dog searches of Flores family properties between 1996 and 2007 produced no useful leads. In September 2016, FBI cadaver dogs helped investigators excavate a hillside near Smart's dormitory, recovering items for forensic analysis. In April 2021, prosecutors announced radar and cadaver-dog evidence indicating Smart's body had been buried beneath the deck of a Flores family home before being exhumed and hidden. In May 2026, soil testing at another Flores family property in Arroyo Grande suggested remains may have been, or still were, present, though none were recovered.
Renewed public attention followed a 2019 podcast series about the case, which drew new tips and a replacement billboard in Arroyo Grande in January 2020. Investigators took two of Flores's trucks as evidence and served warrants at several properties, including his home in San Pedro, where they reported finding date-rape drugs and homemade videos. Flores was separately arrested on a firearms charge in February 2021.
On April 13, 2021, Paul Flores and his father Ruben Flores were arrested in connection with Smart's case. Paul Flores was charged with murder and Ruben Flores with accessory after the fact; investigators concluded Paul Flores had attempted to rape Smart, and prosecutors said felony-murder rules applied because the killing occurred during that assault. After a change of venue to Monterey County, separate juries heard the two cases together starting in June 2022. On October 18, 2022, Paul Flores was found guilty of first-degree murder, and Ruben Flores was found not guilty of accessory after the fact. Paul Flores was sentenced on March 10, 2023, to 25 years to life in prison. An appellate court affirmed his conviction in October 2025, and the California Supreme Court denied further review in January 2026; barring federal relief, he is not parole-eligible before 2047.
Smart's disappearance and the delayed campus police response led to the Kristin Smart Campus Security Act, passed unanimously by the California State Legislature and signed into law in August 1998, effective the following year. It requires public colleges and publicly funded schools in California to formalize agreements between campus security and local police for reporting violence against students, including missing-student cases.
California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), San Luis Obispo, California
Case status
solved
Case timeline
1977-02-20
Kristin Denise Smart was born in Augsburg, Bavaria, West Germany.
1995
Smart graduated from Lincoln High School in Stockton, California, and enrolled at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.
1996-05-24
Smart attended an off-campus birthday party near the Cal Poly campus.
1996-05-25
At about 2 a.m., Smart was last seen walking with fellow student Paul Flores toward their dormitories and was never seen again.
1998-08-19
The Kristin Smart Campus Security Act was signed into law in California.
1999-01-01
The Kristin Smart Campus Security Act took effect.
2002-05-25
Smart was declared legally dead, six years after her disappearance.
2005
Smart's parents filed a civil wrongful-death suit against Paul Flores; the suit was later dropped for lack of evidence.
2016-09-06
San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's officials announced a new lead and began excavating a hillside near Smart's dormitory with FBI cadaver dogs.
2019-09-30
A podcast series about the case began release, drawing renewed public attention.
2020-01
A replacement billboard about Smart's disappearance was put up in Arroyo Grande.
2020-01-29
Investigators confirmed two trucks owned by Paul Flores had been taken in as evidence.
2020-02-05
Search warrants were served at four properties connected to Paul Flores.
2020-04-22
A search of Paul Flores's home in San Pedro reportedly turned up date-rape drugs and homemade videos.
2021-02-11
Paul Flores was arrested on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
2021-03-15
A search warrant targeting Ruben Flores's home was executed with cadaver dogs and ground-penetrating radar.
2021-04-13
Paul Flores and his father, Ruben Flores, were arrested in connection with Smart's disappearance.
2021-04-20
Prosecutors announced evidence indicating Smart's body was once buried beneath the deck of Ruben Flores's home.
2021-09
A judge ruled there was sufficient evidence for the case to proceed to trial.
2022-06-06
Trial proceedings began in Monterey County after a change of venue.
2022-10-18
Paul Flores was found guilty of first-degree murder; Ruben Flores was found not guilty of accessory after the fact.
2023-03-10
Paul Flores was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
2025-10-24
An appellate court affirmed Paul Flores's conviction in an unpublished decision.
2026-01-11
The California Supreme Court denied Paul Flores's petition for review.
2026-05-06
Investigators searched a Flores family property in Arroyo Grande with ground-penetrating radar and soil sampling.
2026-05-10
The search concluded without recovering Smart's remains; detectives said they would continue evaluating the evidence collected.
Best coverage
VIDEO
That Chapter / 32 min
Twisted Frat Boy Hid his Disturbing Secrets in Plain Sight | Kristin Smart
VIDEO
Dateline NBC / 1 min
Dateline Episode Trailer: The Vanishing of Kristin Smart | Dateline NBC
VIDEO
Dateline NBC / 2 min
Dateline Episode Trailer: Justice for Kristin Smart | Dateline NBC
People
Paul Flores
CONVICTED
Fellow Cal Poly student and the last person known to have been with Smart; convicted of her first-degree murder on October 18, 2022, and sentenced on March 10, 2023, to 25 years to life in prison. His appeal was denied in 2025-2026.
citation on file
Ruben Flores
ACQUITTED
Paul Flores's father; charged as an accessory after the fact for allegedly helping conceal Smart's body, and acquitted on October 18, 2022.
citation on file
Kristin Smart
VICTIM
19-year-old Cal Poly San Luis Obispo student who disappeared on May 25, 1996, and was later confirmed to have been murdered; her remains have never been found.
citation on file
Ian Parkinson
LAW ENFORCEMENT
San Luis Obispo County Sheriff who announced findings from a May 2026 search of a Flores family property undertaken to try to locate Smart's remains.
Kristin Smart, a 19-year-old Cal Poly San Luis Obispo student, disappeared in the early hours of May 25, 1996, after leaving an off-campus party with fellow student Paul Flores, the last person known to have seen her. Flores was convicted of her murder in 2022 and his conviction was upheld on appeal; Smart's remains have never been recovered.
Where did the murder happen?
California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), San Luis Obispo, California.
Who was convicted?
Paul Flores (Fellow Cal Poly student and the last person known to have been with Smart; convicted of her first-degree murder on October 18, 2022, and sentenced on March 10, 2023, to 25 years to life in prison. His appeal was denied in 2025-2026.).
