When he arrived she stayed at home while Janes father hightailed it to Arroyo Grande Community Hospital. Lindsey Smart Stewart: "You should go to Cal Poly. And that's what I've been doing for a long, long time, along with a lot of other people. That mother, Mary Lassiter, described it to Chris Lambert. Lambert says Kristin could not stand on her own, so fellow student Cheryl Anderson who was also at the party began helping her back to campus. The Kristin Smart disappearance: After 26 years, Paul Flores is convicted of murder. JAMES MURPHY: Do you have any information as to where Kristin Smart's body is located? Chris Lambert: At that point I don't think they had ever dealt with a missing person, a possibly murdered person. Denise Pearce: Kristin hasn't come home And we're not sure where she is We don't know anything. In the fall of 1996, a young mother named Mary Lassiter was looking for a house to rent in Arroyo Grande, California. And there are more horrifying allegations about what may have happened to Kristin after she was last seen with Paul Flores. Chris Lambert's podcast caught the attention of millions of listeners and sparked new interest in the decades-old unsolved case of Kristin Smart. At the time, they did not know about a missing college student. They believe they can prove Paul Flores is responsible for the disappearance of Kristin Smart. Lindsey Smart Stewart: It just amazes me the amount of evidence that's available, yet nothing has happened. During opening statements of Flores murder trial this week, prosecutors played a video of Flores stumbling over questions from Cal Poly campus police detectives inside an interrogation room. In 1997 when Paul Flores was deposed for the civil suit, the only thing he would confirm on tape was his name. Then, in 2011, Ian Parkinson was elected sheriff. And it was only 250 miles from Stockton, California, where she grew up with Lindsey and their brother Matt. Used to live: San Luis Obispo CA, Arroyo Grande CA, Torrance CA. In June of 1996, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriffs Office brought in four cadaver dogs to sniff dorms on campus. Paul R Flores and Paul Raul Flores are some of the alias or nicknames that Paul has used. I remember thinking: If my moms not home Im going to die right here.. Whatever happened in those early hours, one thing is indisputable: Kristin Smart has never been seen again. And then months and months later, they'd reach back out and say, can you get us in touch with this person again? Lambert also interviewed a woman who dated Flores until, she says, he became physically and verbally abusive. I never realized its the same guy that harassed [Sarah], he said. D.A. Mary Lassiter says the earring she found in the driveway matched the necklace Kristin Smart is seen wearing on this billboard. That would be Susan Flores, the owner of the home where Flores is suspected to have buried Smart. A now-retired FBI agent believes those remains were once buried at the home of Floress mother. Kristin Smart went missing from Cal Poly in 1996. By herself, which is pretty amazing. And it all came back to me. When Kristin Smart disappeared, Paul Flores's parents Susan and Ruben were separated and living apart. ), A sheriff offices spokesman said his agency couldnt say if investigators working Smarts cold case had been made aware or not of the new alleged victims, citing refusal to comment on an open and active investigation.. Nineteen-year-old Kristin Smart disappeared Memorial Day weekend of 1996. As she told Chris Lambert, "In the master bedroom, I'm hearing this 'beep beep' every night at 4:20, or 4:20 in the morning." It is also what the Smarts have been waiting for for more than a quarter of a century. Also known as Melinda E Flores. James Murphy: It was just a sad phone call to have somebody say, our daughter disappeared and we think she's the victim of foul play and we'd like to pursue the guy that we think is responsible. Just two years later Flores was named as the sole suspect in the disappearance of another woman under almost identical circumstances: Kristin Smart. James Murphy: Having a black eye doesn't make you guilty of anything but if the person you were with disappeared from the planet that's physical evidence. I got in his face, the ex-boyfriend, who requested anonymity, told The Daily Beast. Lives in: Arroyo Grande CA. And the body's not there now. James Murphy: If it was, in fact, a piece of jewelry that matched Kristin's jewelry, it would have been blockbuster evidence. One late night at a Hermosa Beach bar Flores courted a 21-year-old student whom well call Laura. Had Flores been caught and convicted of his alleged sexual assault in 1994, perhaps Smart would still be alive. Over the years, Susan Flores's backyard has been the focus of widespread speculation because of stories like the ones Mary Lassiter told Chris Lambert. October 22, 2022 / 10:10 PM As they soon learned, she had ended up at a party at an off-campus house. On Monday, deputies served a sealed search warrant at the home of Ruben Flores. James Murphy: An eyewitness actually documented the fact that throughout the night that there was activity in the area of the underside of that deck. The two girls walked to an area off campus where there were fraternities, sororities and residential housing for students. Once Jane was admitted her story seemed to fall on deaf ears. Guardar . Chris Lambert: I remember seeing it on the news it was something scary and they were talking about it pretty regularly. Chris Lambert and it worked. Chris Lambert: I wish I knew why. I blacked out and didnt consent to anything.. And he leaves her to walk up this walkway. Paul Flores, lower left, remained in jail without bail while Ruben Flores, upper right, was able to post bail after a judge agreed to lower the bail amount from $250,000 to $50,000, San Luis Obispo County Superior Court/Zoom, How a tragic boating crash is connected to the family of Alex Murdaugh, Husband of woman murdered with an ax convicted 40 years after her death, Five deaths with a connection to Alex Murdaugh's family investigated, Florida man tries to use COVID-19 as a cover for murder. It's just a motivator for me. First published on November 27, 2020 / 8:14 AM. I guess you can call it little white lies, Flores told detectives. E Branch St, Arroyo Grande, CA Plus Addresses In Torrance, CA | San Pedro, CA Relatives Paul Ruben Flores Ermelinda Marie Flores Susan P Flores Paul F Gil View details Phone Numbers (805) nay - peek (805) nay - peek + 1 more View Details AGE 40s Ruben D Flores Santa Barbara, CA (Mesa) Aliases Ruben Flores-Diazchavez Ruben D Flores Espinoza Even worse they never sealed his dorm room. suddenly major pieces of evidence came forward. I remember thinking he was right behind me in the doorway and I think he was trying to get to the door before I could shut it., Sarah said she was quickly manhandled by Flores. Chris Lambert: There was a man climbing her trellis and trying to get inside her balcony, very intoxicated and refusing to leave. I have this PTSD fear of someone kicking the door in.. Flores attempted to kiss Anderson before she walked away around 2:30 a.m. She refused his advances because she was creeped out, Peuvrelle said. They didn't look at the Flores family's vehicles. The next morning, Margarita waited to hear from Kristin. Jonathan Vigliotti found Flores outside his home in Southern California and asked him a number of questions about Kristin's disappearance. When they were deposed by James Murphy, they also insisted their son was not involved. And they told Lambert they weren't surprised when they heard about Flores's connection to Kristin's disappearance. Stop! and then it became Stop!!!!!. Jonathan Vigliotti: You look at Kristin Smart every day. San Luis Obispo County. Flores spit that he would rape her, she said. Our roommate came in and yelled Leave her alone. It would be three more years before the property was searched again. But the investigation is ongoing. James Murphy: Well, the location where all this activity occurred is where they found the biological material. I was lying down on my back. It's, like, she has nothing on her. But it's Susan Flores's concrete backyard that initially received a lot of attention. I was like It wasnt. On October 18, 2022, Paul Flores was found guilty of first-degree murder. First, he told detectives that Smart was having difficulty walking on her own. I think they're just waiting to see what the outcome is going to be. It might be helpful to the investigation.. What happens next? According to the defense, a forensics expert said if it was a grave, you would find hairs, bones, and a big change in the soil composition. I would turn around and he would be right there lurking, the woman, referred to here by a pseudonym, said. Murphy and Sinclair promised the Smarts the billboard will stay until their daughter is found. Jonathan Vigliotti [with Lambert outside of the the dorms]: Paul and Kristin then make their way here. It was updated on October 22, 2022.). Smart, a native of Stockton, was nearing the end of her. PODCAST EPISODE 3 | MARY LASSITER: It was like a red thing and it was like a smudge-like fingerprinted look on the back, just red, like maroon, like old looking and the smudge that it was like half a fingerprint. San Luis Obispo County sheriff's officials gather under a coroner's tent in the backyard of Ruben Flores' house in the 700 block of White Court in Arroyo Grande on April 13. Smarts body has never been found. Thats how we metI was walking and he pulled over and said to me Hey, Ill take you to school, she remembered Flores asking her. We are grateful to these brave women for having the courage to talk about their experiences and we ask anyone who may have information they think could be helpful to contact the San Luis Obispo County Sheriffs Office. When approached about Janes rape claim, an Arroyo Grande Police Department administrator said in an email that their search revealed no such records exist; therefore, there are no responsive documents. Before their findings, another administrator told The Daily Beast on the phone that because the matter was a sexual assault case it fell under a non-disclosure category and therefore they wouldnt be providing any specific information about it. He was staring at my face looking at me and he was enjoying himself.. He called his father at 9:47 a.m. on Sunday, May 26, 1996. But Flores basketball friends told investigators that he already had the black eye when he showed up for the game. When they showed up, it was Paul Flores. Margarita Campos: Kristin was like, "come on, let's go, let's go." He was required to wear an electronic ankle bracelet. Most students had taken off but Kristin had stayed on campus. San Luis Obispo County Sheriff deputies arrested Paul Flores, the primary suspect in the disappearance of Kristin Smart, and his father, Ruben Flores, at separate locations Tuesday morning. This boy walked up to me and said Oh hey, you need to be careful of that Paul Flores, I think hes stalking you. Authorities made clear that they plan to use Flores' alleged predatory behavior against him. According to a county probation bail report obtained by the San Luis Obispo Tribune, "biological evidence" was found under Ruben's deck. He later argued that the biological evidence found under the deck was not conclusively human blood. But a massive search did not happen until she'd been gone for more than a month. The Arroyo Grande home of Ruben Flores is being searched today for the remains of Kristin Smart. The dogs were trained and certified to detect human remains. On April 13, 2021, almost 25 years after Kristin Smart went missing, longtime suspect Paul Flores, 44, was arrested at his home in San Pedro, California, and charged with murder. There was no change in the soil consistent with that.. RUBEN FLORES: [long pause] We never asked that question. The mother is washing her car in the driveway at one point. San Luis Obispo County. BOE-A-2023-5092 Orden JUS/181/2023, de 21 de febrero, por la que se aprueba la relacin provisional de personas admitidas y excluidas en el proceso selectivo para acceso libre, al Cuerpo de Gestin Procesal y Administrativa de la Administracin de Justicia, convocado por Orden JUS/1254/2022, de 7 de diciembre. Paul Flores was a constant presence during Sarahs time at Cal Poly, where she transferred in as a sophomore back in 1996, after Smarts disappearance shook the school and the community. Chris Lambert: It was never marked as evidence apparently. She spotted an ad for a rental that a woman named Susan Flores had put in. But perhaps Mary Lassiter's most disturbing story was about being awakened very early in the morning by a beeping sound coming from the backyard. People who were there have said she was intoxicated. We would highly recommend that those people get in contact with us as soon as possible so we could investigate this further, he said. He would tiptoe around everything. At least one, since The Daily Beast began reporting, said she has been interviewed by the San Luis Obispo Sheriffs Office. Flores is charged with murdering Smart as he attempted to rape her in his dorm room. Paul Flores may have wanted a fresh start in Southern California, but Chris Lambert says, he could not seem to break old habits. He promised the Smarts that solving Kristin's case would be a priority. I don't think she went back to her dorm at all. Let's go." In his mug shot, a black eye can faintly been seen. 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. JAMES MURPHY: What is your present residence address? The Kristin Smart Scholarship has been established by her family to help other college bound women pursue their dreams. Susan P Flores Age 71. Chris Lambert: They didn't bring cadaver dogs with them. Murphy has filed a new civil suit against Ruben Flores for the intentional infliction of emotional distress. Join Facebook to connect with Ermelinda Thomas and others you may know. Members of the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Department and FBI searched the grounds of Susan Flores's home in Arroyo Grande on June 19, 2000, for any evidence that might shed light on the disappearance of Cal Poly student Kristin Smart. One of them was Paul Flores, who, to this day, Kristin's family believes abducted and likely killed her. But he entreated each woman who came forward to tell their story to The Daily Beast to reach out to his department. He'd go anywhere. Have a good day, he said. In March 2021, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office served a search warrant at the Arroyo Grande home of Ruben Flores. DAN DOW [press conference]: But the allegation that he was committing or attempting to commit a rape when he killed her, is the basis for which we are able to file first-degree felony murder charges. But every Sunday when she called her parents, they encouraged her to stick it out. I guess the answer is yes. Sources tell us investigators discovered videos and photographs on Flores' computer showing him engaged in sexual activity with at least 10 different women, apparently in various states of consciousness. How a tragic boating crash is connected to the family of Alex Murdaugh, Husband of woman murdered with an ax convicted 40 years after her death, Five deaths with a connection to Alex Murdaugh's family investigated, Florida man tries to use COVID-19 as a cover for murder. Flores roommate was out of town that weekend, and Paul knew he had three full days in that room (alone), Peuvrelle told the jury. They might have found evidence in those vehicles. Acerca; Prensa; In a civil lawsuit, the Smarts' attorney claims that Kristin's remains were buried at one time on Paul Flores' father's property. Two days after Kristin Smart vanished, Paul Flores went to the Arroyo Grande Police Department because of an outstanding DUI warrant. In fact, Cheryl Anderson, who trusted Flores to walk Kristin back to her dorm alone, told police that her friends called him "Chester the molester," because he was known for groping girls. That's how the Lassiters learned that their landlord's son, Paul, was the prime suspect in the disappearance of a young college student in nearby San Luis Obispo. In October 2022, Paul. It was turned over to a detective with the San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Office, but Garin Sinclair says, the Smarts never knew it existed until the Lassiters were deposed in January 1997. His father Ruben Flores charged with being an accessory after the factwas found not guilty. 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