Kristin Smart: Police search family home of ‘prime suspect’ Paul Flores in 1996 cold case

Cadaver dogs and ground penetrating radar are being used in the two-day search of the Arroyo Grande home north of Los Angeles

Kristin Smart, then 19, was last seen on her college campus in 1996 (FBI)

Police have named a prime suspect 25 years after teenager Kristin Smart went missing from her California university campus in 1996.

San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office announced that it served a search warrant at the home of Ruben Flores, the father of Ms Smart's former classmate Paul Flores.

The Sheriff’s office called Mr Flores a "prime suspect" in the disappearance after previously considering him a longtime person-of-interest.

"The Sheriff’s Office has been authorized to utilize cadaver dogs and ground-penetrating radar during the course of the search," a spokesman said in a statement.

"This process could potentially take one to two days to complete."

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While the sealed search warrant precludes any further information from being disclosed, Ms Smart's family said in a statement they looked forward to more developments.

“We are encouraged by the news of today’s search of Ruben Flores’ property," the Smart family said in a statement, according to ABC News local affiliate KEYT-TV. "We appreciate the vigilance and professionalism of Sheriff Ian Parkinson and his department and our family looks forward to learning more in the hours and days ahead.”

Police search family home of ‘prime suspect’ in case of missing woman Kristin Smart (San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office )

The search of the Flores family home in Arroyo Grande comes almost a year after investigators searched the San Pedro home of Mr Flores in April 2020.

Sheriff’s office spokesperson Tony Cipolla told CNN at the time that investigators “recovered some items of interest in the case” and “are following up on leads, tips and good investigative work”.

Mr Flores was reportedly the last person seen with Ms Smart as the pair returned to the California Polytechnic State University campus about 2 am on 25 May 1996.

The freshman had returned from an off-campus party but never returned to her dorm room or spoken to family or friends since, according to the FBI’s missing person report.

“Kristin was accompanied by a fellow student who stated that he left her a block from her Muir Hall dorm to go to his dorm,” the report said.

The case was effectively cold for 20 years until 2016 when authorities excavated a hillside near Cal Poly based on a tip. While Ms Smart’s body has never been found, she was declared legally dead in 2002.