If COVID-19 is keeping San Luis Obispo High School students inside, take a break from YouTube and Netflix and try out Chris Lambert’s podcast “Your Own Backyard, The Disappearance of Kristin Smart”.  Lambert uses his podcast to tell the story of a Cal Poly student who went missing in 1996, and who has never been found since. 

   Cal Poly former freshman Kristin Smart, was last seen walking home from a party on May 25, 1996 with a fellow college student, Paul Flores. Paul, being the last one to see her alive, has always been and still is the only suspect in Smart’s case, which has been “open and on-going” for almost 24 years.

  “This case has never been cold, it’s always been active, especially since 2011. Someone’s always been working on the case. I can tell you for sure this case is worked on every day, it’s a top priority and we’re never gonna stop, we’re never going to give up until we can bring Kristin home”, said lead investigator Clent Cole. 

  Over these years, many detectives have come and gone through the San Luis Obispo Police Department, all promising the Smart family to find answers, but all leaving without any. With a great amount of evidence piling up against the suspect Flores, the public has always looked to the police to do something, but little progress has been made, at least until Lambert came into the picture. 

  Starting his podcast in 2019, Lambert had the goal of bringing attention to Kristin’s case, to the police department that has made no progress, to the man who killed Smart and still lives a normal life, and to help to bring answers and justice to the Smart family who have lived every parents’ worst nightmare. 

  While Kristin’s body has not been found yet, the hundreds of people that have listened to the podcast and shared her story have brought a new light to the investigation, and great pressure to the police department, who has claimed to have received hundreds of new pieces of evidence and are closer than ever to closing this case for good.

   “Your podcast has helped us generate some leads for us that we have followed up on and continue to follow up on. It’s certainly beneficial to the case” said Cole. 

  So why should you turn off your TV to listen to this podcast? Because every person who listens to a tragic story like this one, is one more person that can make sure that it never happens again. So while you’re stuck inside, try Chris Lambert’s “Your Own Backyard” and spread the story of Kristin Smart.