Law enforcement officers were conducting an active search at Ruben Flores Arroyo Grande home late Tuesday afternoon, shortly after a press conference announcing he and his son Paul Flores had been arrested in connection to the suspected murder of Kristen Smart 24 years ago.
They blocked the street and had set up an extensive operation in the backyard, where piles dirt could be seen accumulating on a basketball court.
Both law enforcement at the scene and neighbors declined to comment.
Longtime prime suspect Paul Flores, 44, was arrested for murder and held without bail Tuesday morning. Ruben Flores, 80, was also arrested for accessory to murder and held on $250,000 bail. Neither has been formally charged but arraignments are scheduled for later in the week.
Arrestaron al principal sospechoso del caso de Kristin Smart, la estudiante estadounidense desaparecida desde 1996 infobae.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from infobae.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Reporting from SAN LUIS OBISPO
One warm Friday night in late spring 10 years ago, Kristin Denise Smart and three other young women started walking from their dorms at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. They were headed for the neighborhoods of apartment complexes and overpopulated “Animal House -like bungalows that border the campus. They were looking for a party.
It was Memorial Day weekend. Kristin’s first year away at college was coming to a close. The 19-year-old from Stockton would have considered that something to celebrate. As far back as February, she’d written to another student that “school seems like it is never going to end.”
Paul Flores Taken Into Custody in Connection With Kristin Smart Case: Report yahoo.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from yahoo.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
At 6-feet-1-inch tall, she was beautiful and energetic but also, friends said, could be quite reserved.
She s been missing for almost 25 years.
She was last seen around 2 a.m. on May 25, 1996, by Cal Poly students. She walked home from a party somewhere in Mustang Circle, a dense neighborhood of apartment buildings and fraternity houses.
She left behind her wallet, containing identification and her ATM card. The wallet was sitting on a table in her room when friends called university police to report her missing, according to an article by The Stockton Record.
The last person known to have seen her alive was Paul Flores, who witnesses said accompanied her on the walk home from the party.