Photo Courtesy of KSBY.

  On Tuesday, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office announced in a press conference that they had made the arrest of Paul Flores on suspicion of the murder of Kristin Smart. They also arrested his father, Ruben Flores, on suspicion of a charge of accessory.

  District Attorney Dan Dow claimed that “It is alleged he caused Kristin’s death while in the commission of or attempt to commit rape,” adding that Ruben “helped conceal Kristin’s body after she was murdered.”

  In 1996 on Memorial Day weekend, 19-year-old Cal Poly student Kristin Smart went missing, the last person seen with her being classmate Paul Flores as he walked her home from a party.

  Not much came from the investigation, though it seemed like common knowledge across campus that “Creepy Paul,” a name he had acquired even before Smart’s disappearance, was responsible for her death (in 2002, she was legally declared deceased). Witnesses reported seeing scratches on Flores’ face the following day, and neighbors state that he dug up a trench in his backyard and filled it with cement within days after Smart vanished. 

  Despite this, there was not sufficient evidence to convict Flores, and Smart’s body still had yet to be recovered.

  Things started to turn around in late 2019, when singer-songwriter Chris Lambert began a podcast highlighting the events and digging up a stronger case against Flores. It’s popularity caused more witnesses to come forward and more evidence to surface. Many people credit it for Flores’ eventual arrest.

  As of right now, District Attorney Dan Dow has not revealed what evidence has been recovered to prompt the arrest of Flores, though he states that the Sheriff’s Department has a strong idea of where Smart’s remains are.

  Even if Flores is brought to justice and convicted of Smart’s murder, residents of San Luis Obispo will forever be haunted by the case as they pump gas at the Shell station Flores used to work at, sleep in his Santa Lucia Hall Cal Poly dorm, or drive by the Arroyo Grande house under which Smart’s remains are suspected to be buried.

Sources: forbes.com, ksby.com, sanluisobispo.com