California investigators are searching a backyard after soil testing produced evidence consistent with human remains in connection with the Kristin Smart case, authorities said. The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff, Ian Parkinson, announced on Friday that testing at a property linked to Paul Flores—who was convicted of murder in the case involving college student Kristin Smart, who disappeared in 1996—suggested that human remains may have been present at some point.
Officials said they cannot yet identify the remains as Kristin Smart specifically. The sheriff stated investigators can only say there is evidence supporting that human remains were once present at the location. Investigators are now conducting further review as part of the ongoing search connected to Smart’s disappearance.
The announcement follows reports that the home being tested has ties to Flores’s family. Both outlets describe the same development: soil sampling at a relevant property has indicated the possible presence of human remains, but identification has not been confirmed, and investigators continue their work.
