Murdered student Kristin Smart’s body may have been buried in the backyard of Paul Flores’s mother, according to soil tests done by a group of California engineers.
Flores was sentenced to 25 years to life for the 1996 murder of Smart, who was attending Cal Poly University when she disappeared. Her body has never been found.
Tim Nelligan is an engineer and Cal Poly graduate who met Smart weeks before she went missing and is now working to locate her remains.
Kristin Smart, then 19, was last seen on her college campus in 1996— (FBI)
“The intent here was not to solve a crime but rather to help a family find their daughter,” he told CBS News Sacramento.
The team of engineers have carried out soil tests that show a heat map identifying a possible decomposing body.
He says that the location of the tests was the back fence line of Susan Flores’s home in Arroyo Grande, the same location that investigators served a search warrant in 2020.
A neighbour allowed the team to take samples capturing the soil gases in a test that is certified by the government Environmental Protection Agency but it is not used by law enforcement.
Heat map of soil tests carried out by engineers looking for remains of Kristin Smart— (CBS News Sacramento/Tim Nelligan)
“What that shows are very high concentrations of the total VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, associated with human decomposition,” Mr Nelligan said.
The group has shared its findings with law enforcement and Smart’s family.
Prosecutors said that Paul Flores killed Kristin Smart while trying to rape her in his dorm room— (San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Office)
“I can’t answer specifically about Kristin’s body but I think that the test shows we have a significant number of compounds that have a clear indication that there is some type of decomposition of a body going on in this location,” said engineer Steve Hoyt said.
And Mr Nelligan added: “As far as the investigation goes, that’s really not our scope.”
The San Luis Obispo sheriff’s office issued a statement saying it could not make a comment.
“Until the appeals process in the Smart murder case is finished, they aren’t able to make any comments at this time.”
Smart disappeared in May 1996 after attending an off-campus party, and witnesses told investigators that Flores was the last person seen with her.
Prosecutors said that Flores killed her while trying to rape her in his dorm room. His father, Ruben, was found not guilty by a jury of being an accessory to the crime.
