New Search Begins in Kristin Smart Case
By Camille DeVaul · Thu May 07 2026
Sheriff Ian Parkinson says latest warrant at Susan Flores’s home is driven by advancing technology and a continued commitment to bringing Kristin Smart home
An exclusive interview with San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson dropped early this morning, discussing the search warrant currently active at Susan Flores's home — the mother of Paul Flores, who was sentenced in March 2023 to 25 years to life in state prison for the murder of Kristin Smart. Adam Monitel from the "Up + Adam with Adam Montiel" podcast show received the call and phone interview with Parkinson shortly after the warrant was served at Susan's home, early Wednesday morning, May 6.
Kristin Smart, a 19-year-old Cal Poly freshman, was reported missing in May 1996. After a 25-year investigation, Flores was arrested in 2021 and convicted of first-degree murder in October 2022. His father also was arrested and went to trial but was found not guilty for helping his son hide Kristin's remains.
During the interview, Montiel asks Parkinson what has changed for him to go back to Susan's home with a search warrant. Her home was last searched in 2007 with Ground Penetrating Radar.
Parkinson responds, "First of all, nothing has changed from the beginning for me. It's always been a commitment to bringing Kristin home, bringing those responsible to justice."
He goes on to say that this is not the first search and while he will not disclose the previous one, it was "very substantial."
Monitel asks Parkinson what could be bringing them back to Susan's property, if there is any insight he can provide.
"We live in a world of constant change in technology," Parkinson said — alluding to advances in tech playing a part in the new search warrant.
Parkinson shared that this search could take two to three days to complete.
"We are not going to walk out of there and not turn over every rock humanly possible," he said.
Parkinson adds that he has "full faith" in his team as they provide him with continuous updates. He says he is committed to supporting his team and staying "out of their way."
He added, "My gut tells me that all we can do is everything we can do ... never give up until Kristin is returned."
This May marked 30 years since Kristin was murdered by Paul Flores. Searches throughout the three decades around the county have yet to bring Kristin's remains home. Will this be the final search?
"There is no closure ... there is justice and there is some form of peace that they have their daughter back," Parkinson shares about needing to return Kristin back to her family.
There is one thing that should be noted. At the start of the episode, Montiel says the new search warrant is driven by soil vapor sampling. Montiel says that the samples were taken from the neighboring property and that the method is still experimental and has never been used in a criminal case before.
However, soil vapor was used during the Casey Anthony trial in 2011 and it was used for a double homicide case in Yakima, Washington.
Dr. Arpad Vass is a world-renowned research scientist and forensic anthropologist specializing in human decomposition. He famously testified in the Casey Anthony case in Florida. Additionally, Vass was the Tennessee Scientist of the Year in 2004 and is an instructor at the National Forensic Academy.
Vass has worked on developing technology to locate clandestine graves by the use of odor mortis. There are typically seven stages of decay: pallor mortis, algor mortis, rigor mortis, liver mortis, putrefaction, decomposition, and finally, skeletonization. In addition, Vass has developed another category called odor mortis.
Vass's technology works similarly to cadaver dogs.
According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) Human remains detection dogs (HRDDs) are “canines specially trained to find human decomposition scent and alert their handler to its location."
During decomposition, humans release specific chemicals that essentially "plume" through the soil. Over time, these chemicals spread through the moisture in the soil.
Back in 2014, Vass first analyzed soil samples from Susan's neighbor's backyard for decomposition vapors and found a weak positive.
Paso Robles Press / Atascadero News covered this search and more in a two-part series back in 2021. You can find those articles in the links below:
Part 1: The Backstory of the Kristin Smart Case: The California Register
Part 2: History of the Kristin Smart Case Part II
As the search continued into Thursday — and with Sheriff’s officials indicating the operation could last for days — the ongoing search serves as a stark reminder that the pursuit of bringing Kristin Smart home is far from over.
This remains a developing story, and updates will be provided as more information becomes available.