Authorities have arrested two suspects in connection with the 1996 disappearance of Kristin Smart. Paul Flores, who was long suspected of being involved in her disappearance, was taken into custody along with his father, Ruben Flores.
Smart was last seen walking home from a party near her dorm at California Polytechnic State University on May 25, 1996. While her body was never found, officials declared Smart dead in 2002.
Paul Flores was the last person to see her alive and was questioned after she went missing. He has denied any involvement in her disappearance.
According to the Los Angeles Times, investigators have been focusing on how Flores would have disposed of Smart's body. They knew he couldn't have done it alone and, during the past year, have been trying to determine how he would have moved her body. They examined several vehicles owned by Flores and his father in 1996, including two trucks and a VW Golf Cabriolet, looking for any evidence they were used to transport Smart before or after she died.
Ruben Flores was booked on charges of suspicion of being an accessory after the fact and was being held on $250,000 bail. Officials did not immediately release what charges Paul Flores is facing.
John Segale, a Smart family spokesperson, told CNN the family was emotional after they were notified of the arrests.
"A lot of prayers, astonishment, excitement, happiness, and of course sadness. Sadness, because this has gone on for 25 years. The Smart family had not been able to bury their daughter. There was no closure," Segale said.
Photo: FBI