A home in the Arroyo Grande area of San Luis Obispo County is being searched in connection with the disappearance of Kristin Smart.
Law enforcement officers were seen at the East Branch Street home Wednesday morning, and the search continued through the week. The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office confirmed that a search warrant was served at the home in connection with the Smart case.
At a Friday press conference, Sheriff Ian Parkinson said Smart's remains had not been found.
"I think it's safe to say we have not recovered Kristin yet, but our search goes on," Parkinson said.
Search crews have been using ground-penetrating radar and soil testing at the home, which is associated with the mother of Paul Flores, the man convicted of Smart's murder in 2022.
Smart, a Stockton native and Cal Poly student, disappeared in 1996.
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Law enforcement serving a search warrant at an Arroyo Grande home in connection to the disappearance of Kristin Smart on May 6, 2026. San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office
"The Sheriff's Office remains committed to bringing Kristin home to her family," the department said in a statement about Wednesday's Arroyo Grande search.
Investigators previously served a search warrant an Arroyo Grande home in 2020 in connection with Smart's disappearance.
Paul Flores has maintained his innocence and has been appealing his sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
Sheriff Parkinson said he doesn't know when the current search will conclude.
In:
San Luis Obispo
Kristin Smart