Search Warrant Served in Southland in 1996 Disappearance of Kristen Smart

(Torrance) – – Just across the East Branch Street, from city hall, in the California central coast

LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Authorities today served search warrants at locations in San Pedro, San Luis Obispo County and in Washington State in their investigation into the 1996 disappearance of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo student Kristin Smart.

“Due to the high-profile nature of the investigation into the disappearance and whereabouts of Kristin Smart and to avoid the dissemination of misinformation, the Sheriff's Office is announcing this morning it has served search warrants for specific items of evidence inside four separate locations in California and Washington,” Tony Cipolla of the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

“Two of those locations are in San Luis Obispo County, one location is in Los Angeles County and one location is in Washington State,” Cipolla said.

According to Fox 11, a residence in the 900 block of Upland Avenue in San Pedro was the focus of today's warrant operation. The warrant was served about 7 a.m.

“The search warrants are limited in scope, and sealed by the court,” Cipolla said. “As a result, we are precluded by law from disclosing any further details about them. This is an active and on-going investigation. The Sheriff's Office will not be commenting any further and no additional information will be released at this time, nor do we anticipate any additional news releases regarding this investigation.”

According to the Sacramento Bee, authorities recently confirmed that new evidence was discovered that was tied to Smart's disappearance, including two trucks that belonged to members of the family of Paul Flores in 1996.

Flores, who was also a Cal Poly student at the time, was the last person to see Smart when she went missing from San Luis Obispo on Memorial Day weekend 24 years ago, and he now resides in San Pedro, the Sacramento Bee reported.

Since 2011, the Sheriff's Office has served 18 search warrants, conducted physical evidence searches at nine locations, submitted 37 evidence items from the early days of the case for modern DNA testing, recovered 140 new items of evidence, conducted 91 in-person interviews and written 364 supplemental reports, the Sacramento Bee reported.

Photo: Getty Images


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