Investigators take soil samples outside home of a man convicted of killing Kristin Smart

ARROYO GRANDE, Calif. (AP) — Authorities continued searching Thursday at a home connected to the man convicted of killing 19-year-old college student Kristin Smart in 1996, taking samples from the soil in front of the house and in a neighboring yard.

It was the second day of searching at the home of Susan Flores, whose son Paul Flores was convicted in 2022 of killing Smart, after a local sheriff’s office served a warrant Wednesday. Smart’s remains have never been found and she was declared legally dead in 2002. Authorities have not answered questions about what prompted the search.

The case has captivated the public, fueled in part by reporting by a podcaster who helped investigators crack the case by bringing forward additional witnesses. Chris Lambert of the “Your Own Backyard” podcast first reported the search of the home in the central coast town of Arroyo Grande.

Attempts to reach Susan Flores for comment Wednesday and Thursday were not successful. Public records show she lives at the home being searched under the warrant of the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office. She has never faced criminal charges related to the case.

Men in plain clothes poked instruments into the soil and pulled up long tubing. As the men took a break, they told an Associated Press journalist they were researchers and scientists.

Lambert said he did not know much about the search, but was optimistic investigators could locate Smart’s body.

“I’m very hopeful that this is going to be the one, but this property in particular has been overlooked for quite some time, felt like the searches that were done were never thorough enough,” he said Thursday in front of the house.

Smart went missing from California Polytechnic State University in May 1996 after returning from an off-campus party. Prosecutors alleged she was killed during an attempted rape and that the last person she was seen with was Flores, a fellow student.

Flores and his father, Ruben Flores, were arrested in 2021.

Prosecutors alleged Smart’s remains were buried on Ruben Flores’ property and later moved. He was acquitted of accessory charges. That property is different from the one currently being searched.

Paul Flores was sentenced in March 2023 to prison, where he has been physically attacked at least twice.

In 2024, a judge ruled that Paul Flores must pay just over $350,000 to Smart’s family for costs they incurred after her death.

The family has said it would forgo restitution if Flores would tell them where Kristin’s body was. Flores’ attorney, Harold Mesick, said in 2024 that the defense did not know where her remains are. Flores maintains his innocence.

The county district attorney’s office said Wednesday it was helping the sheriff’s office with the investigation.

“While those responsible for Kristin’s death — and those with knowledge of her whereabouts — could provide answers at any time, we remain firmly committed to using every lawful tool available to locate Kristin’s remains and to support her family until she is brought home,” District Attorney Dan Dow said in a statement.