As San Luis Obispo (SLO) County Sheriff's deputies and specialist investigators served search warrants at two residences in relation to the murder of Kristin Smart, her family's spokesperson confirmed they are monitoring the developments closely and in contact with authorities.
The Sheriff's Office issued photos of investigators searching the two homes on Wednesday.
In the weeks prior to the new development, those who live nearby in San Luis Obispo and visitors to the area noticed large new billboards in her honor along Highway 1, going both north and south on the busy roadway near the California Men's Colony.
“I think a lot of students, when they drive back from Morro Bay, we see the billboards saying 'Find Kristin Smart’," Cal Poly student Elda Sarat told KSBY.
Smart was a student at Cal Poly when she disappeared. A jury convicted Paul Flores for her murder in 2022. Previously, investigators have combed through the property where his father Ruben lives, whom a jury acquitted of accessory charges when he was brought to trial. The search on Wednesday was at the residence where his mother, Susan, lives in Arroyo Grande, as well as at her next-door neighbor's home.
KSBY learned that donations to the Kristin Smart Foundation's operational fund helped pay for the billboards, which went up just prior to the 30-year anniversary of Smart's disappearance in San Luis Obispo, coming up on May 25.
The activity at the investigation site also came just one week after the Kristin Smart Scholarship Committee marked its 9th year awarding an additional eight scholarships to women recognized for their exceptional academic records, dedicated community service, and, "...profound grit and determination they demonstrate both inside and outside the classroom," according to the committee. Since its launch, the committee has awarded $110,000 to nearly 40 aspiring leaders.
Cal Poly professor and band director Christopher J. Woodruff has closely monitored the case in the two decades he has been at the school, pointing out that he started in 2006, just 10 years after she first disappeared.
"This is huge news," said Woodruff. "I think many of my students are aware, they live on campus, and I deal with students who are here for four or five years."
Student Keylano Ascencio is a second-year student at Cal Poly who grew up in the area following the case, and took a special interest in the new developments after recently listening to the popular "Your Own Backyard" podcast featuring the investigation.
"After listening to the podcast as well when it first came out and keeping up with it, it’s just super interesting and kind of exciting and also kind of nerve-racking to see what, you know, they find," said Ascencio.
Cal Poly SLO President Jeffrey D. Armstrong provided KSBY with the following statement:
"The Cal Poly community has watched the case of Kristin Smart’s disappearance closely and hoped for justice for Kristin and resolution for her family. Our thoughts continue to be with Kristin’s family as this process proceeds."
KSBY will continue to monitor activity at the locations where the search warrants were executed and stay in touch with the family.
