Garin Sinclair: He never once turned to the Smart family and said, hey, we have an earring, we'd like to show it to you to see if it matches any of your daughter's jewelry. Cadaver dogs trained to detect human decomposition were deployed by the F.B.I. PODCAST EPISODE 2 | WOMAN #1: I wasn't surprised, but there's also that shock value of kind of "oh my god, I knew it! Ruben Flores and his estranged wife Susan have always denied any role in Kristin Smart's disappearance. How are we not all talking about this every day until shes found?, Editors picks I don't know if Kristin knew anybody there. Just five months before Kristin disappeared, San Luis Obispo Police received a call from a student living off campus. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. And Murphy and Sinclair believe they can prove it. Convicted killer Scott Peterson is expected to be called to the witness stand at a pre-trial hearing in California involving the 25-year-old disappearance of co-ed Kristin Smart. The prosecution upholds the validity of these searches, including one of Flores dorm room that was done after he moved out. Onuma was evicted from a Kaneohe, Hawaii residence after his connection to the Kristen Modafferi . But while campus police weren't doing much, Kristin's parents were doing whatever they could to find their daughter. They took in soil, I assume, for some kind of analysis. That mother, Mary Lassiter, described it to Chris Lambert. Later, the sheriff's office obtained a warrant for Ruben's DNA and Det. I did have guilt about that. Chris Lambert: Kristin's father would come down and hike every trail he could find on the Central Coast. And I was, like, "uh OK, fine.". And I was like, "nah, I have to study." A very close-knit family. That's when Cole said Ruben asked why they would also be collecting DNA from Susan Flores and her boyfriend and Ruben told him, "They did not commit a felony, only I did.". Van Rooyen saying that his release could result in great bodily harm to the public. I didnt understand why. Paul Flores isnt granted bail, with Judge Craig B. Defense attorney Robert Sanger, in turn, tries to poke holes in Flemmings recollections. And while they did not rush to investigate Flores, Kristin's family says campus police were very quick to judge her. In October 2022,. 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. Cole said that Ruben then clarified that he meant he was the only one of the three to have been arrested. In a civil lawsuit, the Smarts' attorney claims that Kristin's remains were buried at one time on Paul Flores' father's property. Jonathan Vigliotti: There was a lot of evidence that could have been gathered, that wasn't. Cole said investigators checked out the skateboard ramp location but did not find a body. Lourdes Aguiar is the senior producer. Just very involved with their children. Police investigated whether Durst, 71, who lived in San Francisco at the time Modafferi went missing, was connected to her disappearance. Lindsey Smart Stewart: "You should go to Cal Poly. In the late 1990s, the. And my roommate actually kicked down the door to make him stop. And it was only 250 miles from Stockton, California, where she grew up with Lindsey and their brother Matt. On Monday, he questioned why investigators needed to keep searching for evidence after making arrests. They havent revealed what was found but returned to the yard for additional digging after the arrests. to find the next challenge. Paul and Ruben Flores appear at the San Luis Obispo Superior Court for the first time, at which time Judge Craig van Rooyen denies Deputy District Attorney Christopher Peuvrelles request to add two rape charges against Paul, according to The Tribune of San Luis Obispo. But the investigation is ongoing. Defense Attorney Sanger calls the move a stunning lack of objectivity.. James Murphy: The podcast is out. Kristen Modafferi was an 18-year-old college student who was about to start a summer photography course at UC Berkeley when she disappeared after leaving work at a San Francisco coffee shop. In the crowd, taking it all in, was that podcaster, Chris Lambert. Chris Lambert: And that's when they're told that earring has been misplaced. Ann-Marie Christian: became friends with Kristin in elementary school. Friday, May 24, 1996, was the start of the Memorial Day weekend. San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Office personnel dig in an area in the backyard of the home of Ruben Flores, in Arroyo Grande, Calif., March 16, 2021. . 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. James Murphy: To see them in custody was a feeling of great joy for me. Margarita Campos: Kristin was like, "come on, let's go, let's go." But Mary Lassiter says the earring matched the necklace Kristin is seen wearing on the billboard. Since Parkinson came on the scene, investigators have dug up hillsides; searched the homes and properties of all the Flores'; collected evidence; seized Paul Flores' computers; monitored his cell phone and text messages, and found new witnesses -- some with the help of Chris Lambert. PODCAST | EPISODE 1: At least once a day I asked myself what are you doing? Authorities made clear that they plan to use Flores' alleged predatory behavior against him. The day after my sister disappeared, Paul Flores had a black eye and scratches on him. Ruben's attorney, Harold Mesick, dismissed the evidence against his client as "so minimal as to shock the conscience.". PODCAST EPISODE 5: If you were making a film about a new law enforcer who's coming to a small town to save the day, you'd probably cast Parkinson. But I've seen it. The sheriff's office seized the trailer and Det. Lambert also interviewed a woman who dated Flores until, she says, he became physically and verbally abusive. What's going on? Chris Lambert: Kristin became incredibly intoxicated, whether she was drugged or whether she just had a lot to drink in a short amount of time She ends up passed out on the lawn next door. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Nineteen-year-old Cal Poly student Kristin Smart went missing after a campus party 25. The podcast, "Your Own Backyard,"has drawn millions of listeners and focused renewed attention on this decades old case. They were after Paul Flores for an outstanding DUI warrant. It was on Memorial Day weekend 1996 that their 19-year-old daughter Kristin Smart disappeared. The next month, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriffs Office took over from the Cal Poly police as the lead investigators. But 22 years later, when he couldn't find any recent stories about the case, he decided to do something. James Murphy: I'm not at liberty to describe how it was documented. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. James Murphy: Every day. True crime podcasting is not something that particularly captivated me, Lambert told Rolling Stonelast year. Nineteen-year-old Cal Poly student Kristin Smart went missing after a campus party 25 years ago, and, this summer, her case is finally getting its day in court. And six months later, when Flores was deposed by James Murphy for the Smart's civil suit, he kept quiet. There was early mistakes made that you can't recover from when you're missing those vital pieces. Cole went to his White Court home to collect it on May 19, 2021. Her dorm entrance is right over here. Kristin Smart went missing on May 25, 1996 while attending California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and has not been heard from since. Eighteen-year-old Kristen Modafferi was a college honor student from North Carolina spending her summer in San Francisco. JAMES MURPHY: What is the name of your father? She loved swimming and skiing. Chris Lambert: They didn't bring cadaver dogs with them. JAMES MURPHY: Your husband have information as to where Kristin Smart's body is located? The day after the arrests, Dan Dow, the San Luis Obispo County district attorney, said that Paul Flores had caused the death of Ms. Smart while in the commission of, or attempted, rape. Ruben Flores helped to hide her remains, he said. Lindsey Smart Stewart: I think they're, like, carrying boulders on their back. Kristin Smart: Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong calls the Smarts. 7,781 days.. That is all it took. She was never seen again. The unsealed documents include two claims from 2011 and 2017 that Flores raped two women while they were drunk in San Pedro. Kristin Smart, a bright, adventurous communication studies freshman at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, went missing May 25, 1996. Chris Lambert: So, if you believe Paul's story, he goes into his dorm room here. Paul Flores and defense attorney Robert Sanger in court on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021. Kristin Denise Smart (born February 20, 1977 [1] [6] -declared legally dead May 25, 2002) was an American woman who was found to have been murdered by Paul Flores at the end of her freshman year on the campus of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly). She and all who have worked so hard toward this day deserve nothing less.. The Smarts say they tried to file a missing person's report with the local police but were told it was too early, and the FBI told them Cal Poly police were in charge. Mesick argued there were many innocent explanations why soil had previously been dug up in the yard. Alicia Tejada is the field producer and Addison Briley is the associate producer. Chris Lambert: He told those friends he just woke up with the black eye. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. Other witnesses included students who were at the party. They also uncovered videos in a folder labeled practice that featured women wearing ball gags and in other fetish positions. Flores wasn't talking. How could she have gone out of town? And there would be more disappointment in 2007, after the Smart's legal team searched a small portion of Susan Flores's backyard with ground penetrating radar and did not find any evidence. School was over, so campus police found an empty room that had been sanitized by the university's cleaning crew. Cole testified that Hudson told him about Paul's statement and that she'd also seen Paul with his white pickup truck at the skateboard ramp in Huasna. At the time of the April 13 arrests, the sheriff said he believed that had enough evidence to win convictions. Det. When they showed up, it was Paul Flores. The 100 Best Albums of 2022. On April 19, father and son each pleaded not guilty, according to The Associated Press. Proof of the L.A. charges cant act as a substitute for the SLO case.. Denise Smart, Kristins mother, has also praised the show. But remarkably, the same thing happened with three more dogs. Chris Lambert, who worked as a CBS News consultant, pieced together what he learned from people who were there that night. Everyone knew Paul (Flores) was creepy. A single woman's earring. That technology uncovered a soil disturbance under the deck as well as four soil samples that tested positive for human blood; an April evacuation also tested positive for blood. A separate jury for Ruben Flores started deliberating on Oct. 5. The defense claims the prosecution is wearing said color as a result of a Facebook request on the site Justice for Kristin Smart' to wear purple during a Memorial Day celebration. No remains have been found. Chris Lambert spoke with some women who knew Flores back then. Five months after Kristin Smart disappeared, Paul Flores was brought before a grand jury but no charges were ever filed. And the body's not there now. But Murphy says there were other incidents that should have raised alarm bells about him with law enforcement from the very beginning. Lindsey Smart Stewart: It just amazes me the amount of evidence that's available, yet nothing has happened. PODCAST EPISODE 2: So, with Cheryl's account alone, we have an unsettling picture of Paul . James Murphy and Garin Sinclair look at the billboard that has been in their front yard for more than two decades. Cole said he has the admission on a digital tape recording. The Kristin Smart Scholarship has been established by her family to help other college bound women pursue their dreams. James Murphy: Well, the location where all this activity occurred is where they found the biological material. Our family has always known that this was going to be a long, difficult, and emotional journey. Little is known since the proceedings are kept secret, but no charges were ever filed. Paul Flores did not have a car on campus, so Murphy surmises he had to have had help. Unsealed court documents in the Kristin Smart murder case include allegations of a discovery of human blood and witnesses who claim to have seen suspicious . Cole said this was done so Lambert would include the information in his podcast during the time of the wiretap. For more than two decades, her family, friends, and supporters searched for answers and for justice. Recently unsealed court documents show the extent to which law enforcement has looked into Flores over the years: 48 search warrants involving wiretaps and GPS tracking, and a search of Flores former Cal Poly dorm room.