Inside four-day search of Susan Flores’ Arroyo Grande property
By Camille DeVaul · Wed May 13 2026
Ground-penetrating radar, soil testing, and renewed investigative efforts drew intense public attention to property tied to murder of Kristin Smart
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY — After four days, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office concluded its search of the property belonging to Susan Flores in the 500 block of East Branch Street in Arroyo Grande.
Susan is the mother of Paul Flores, who is currently serving time for the murder of Kristin Smart back in 1996. Smart, a 19-year-old Cal Poly freshman, was reported missing in May 1996. After a 25-year investigation, Flores was arrested in 2021 and convicted of first-degree murder in October 2022. He was sentenced in March 2023 to 25 years to life in state prison.
The Sheriff’s Office added that investigators did not recover the remains of Kristin Smart. However, officials said any evidence collected during the search will be evaluated as part of the ongoing investigation.
Officials said, "The Sheriff's Office remains fully committed to finding Kristin and bringing her home to her family."
They also added that no further information is available at this time and that the Sheriff's Office "will not be making any additional comments or providing any further updates regarding this investigation."
Paso Robles Press / Atascadero News reported from the scene all four days of the search.
Day 1: Wednesday, May 6
On Wednesday morning, May 6, Chris Lambert, host and founder of the "Your Own Backyard" podcast, received messages from Branch Street residents alerting him of law enforcement activity happening at the home of Susan Flores. This wasn't the first time Lambert had received alerts of interesting activity happening at Susan's home. Usually, it ended up being not much for him to report on.
However, this time was different. Lambert arrived on scene just in time to watch SLO County Detectives Clint Cole and JT Camp deliver a new search warrant to Susan. Upon seeing Lambert's face, she flipped him off and Lambert captured it — an image that would soon travel across the county as word of this new and surprising search warrant was underway.
As soon as Lambert published the photo on his social media page, Paso Robles Press/Atascadero News saw the alert and headed straight to Arroyo Grande to watch the search unfold.
A search warrant served at the home of Susan was an unexpected move from the Sheriff's Office. Since Paul's sentencing in 2023, the Sheriff's Office had remained quiet in its search efforts for Kristin's remains and Susan's home has long been scrutinized by the community as a possible location. It was last searched in June 2000, though notably, the yard was not excavated at that time. A later search in February 2020 was limited to the collection of digital evidence.
Suspicion surrounding the property dates back to 1997, shortly after Kristin’s disappearance. A tenant who rented the home reported discovering a turquoise earring in the yard — an item collected by investigators but never formally logged into evidence and later reported missing. The same tenant also claimed to hear a digital watch alarm sounding at 4:20 a.m. from the backyard for a period of time, though the source was never located.
After the tenant’s eviction in March 1997, Susan Flores returned to the home, where she has lived for years. While she and Ruben Flores remarried in 2015, the two have not lived together since their first divorce. Her former partner, Mike McConville, who also resided at the property on Branch Street, passed away in July 2025.
During the first day of the search, Paso Robles Press/Atascadero News observed ground penetrating radars (GPR) being used on the property. Most of the search was conducted in the backyard of not only Susan's home, but also of her neighbors, where another search warrant was served. At times, media and onlookers standing on the street outside could hear what sounded like the pounding of stakes or chipping concrete. However, with coincidental street construction near the home, it was hard to hear much of anything.
Later in the day, investigative crews continued bringing boxes from Susan Flores's backyard into the backyard of the neighboring property.
The Sheriff's Office had previously indicated in 2020 that the property had been “exhausted” as a lead, making the current search all the more surprising to the community.
Day 2: Thursday, May 7
An exclusive interview with San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson dropped early Thursday morning, discussing the search warrant. Adam Monitel from the "Up + Adam with Adam Montiel" podcast show received the call and phone interview with Parkinson shortly after the warrant was served at Susan's home, early Wednesday morning, May 6.
During the interview, Montiel asked Parkinson what has changed for him to go back to Susan's home with a search warrant.
Parkinson responded, "First of all, nothing has changed from the beginning for me. It's always been a commitment to bringing Kristin home, bringing those responsible to justice."
He goes on to say that this is not the first search and while he will not disclose the previous one, it was "very substantial."
Monitel asks Parkinson what could be bringing them back to Susan's property, if there is any insight he can provide.
"We live in a world of constant change in technology," Parkinson said — alluding to advances in tech playing a part in the new search warrant.
Parkinson shared that this search could take two to three days to complete.
"We are not going to walk out of there and not turn over every rock humanly possible," he said.
Parkinson added that he has "full faith" in his team as they provide him with continuous updates. He said he is committed to supporting his team and staying "out of their way."
He added, "My gut tells me that all we can do is everything we can do ... never give up until Kristin is returned."
The second day of the search warrant at Susan's home in Arroyo Grande began just before 9 a.m. on Thursday.
Soil Engineer Tim Nelligan and his team could be seen conducting soil vapor samples throughout Susan's property and her neighbor's. Later in the day, the GPR was brought back to Susan's backyard.
Towards the end of the day, the media received notice that a press conference would be held on Friday morning regarding the search warrant.
That same day, Paso Robles Press/Atascadero News conducted a one-on-one interview with Lambert, the creator of the "Your Own Backyard" podcast, as the search for Kristin continued at Susan's home.
We asked him what went through his mind when he realized the sheriff's personnel were searching Susan's property again?
"My first thought, like everyone else's, is what evidence led them back here? Obviously, they could not come back here without new evidence of some kind," Lambert shared. "We've known about the soil vapor samples that were being done ... it's been a couple years that they've been doing that now, and the sheriff's department didn't seem to be executing a search warrant based on that. But now, after the second day of searching, it sort of seems like that was the main sort of reason that they got the search warrant."
You can find the full video of that interview on facebook.com/ThePasoRoblesPress or facebook.com/AtascaderoNews
Day 3: Friday, May 8
The third day of searching Susan Flores’s home began with new tarps draped over the gate leading into Susan's backyard and also covered the awning above it. A new white truck also found its way into the driveway.
However, while investigators continued the search, the media found themselves at the SLO County Sheriff's Office to hear from Parkinson.
The sheriff began by confirming to media that until every inch they want to search and every lead is followed through on, they will not leave the property. Parkinson also confirmed that until they are finished with their search at the home, Susan will not be allowed back onto the premises.
During the press conference, Parkinson did not put a timeline for how long the search warrant would take to complete, but did confirm that the soil testing witnessed by the media came back with a positive result for human decomposition present on the property.
While Parkinson could say yes, some evidence or someone classified as a witness is what brought forward a new reason to return to the property, he cannot comment further on specifics.
At this time, Parkinson said that Susan remains a person of interest but is not barred from leaving the area.
We again conducted a one-on-one interview with Lambert following the SLO County Sheriff's press conference.
We asked Lambert what was his biggest takeaway from meeting was.
"One of the main reasons that they acquired this search warrant to begin with was based on independent soil sampling that seemed to indicate human decomposition vapors in the soil of the home next door along Susan's fence line," he said. "And then I asked Sheriff Parkinson directly, 'Have you duplicated those results since Wednesday with your search?' and he confirmed that they have confirmed what appears to be vapors consistent with human decomposition on Susan Flores' property."
You can find the full video of that interview on facebook.com/ThePasoRoblesPress or facebook.com/AtascaderoNews
Day 4: Saturday, May 9
What would be the fourth and final day of the search, investigators were seen searching underneath the home. Media overheard one investigator saying that they are currently searching the back corner, accompanied by sporadic clambering, sawing, and shovel digging coming from the backyard of the home.
When the portable bathrooms were taken away, suspicions arose among onlookers, wondering if this meant the search was nearing completion.
Finally, in the late afternoon, media received a press release from the SLO County Sheriff's Office stating they concluded their search of the property belonging to Susan Flores.
Paso Robles Press/Atascadero News spoke with the host and founder of the "Your Own Backyard" podcast following the sheriff's announcement of the search's conclusion.
Lambert provided the following statement: “I’m waiting to learn the full extent of the areas that were searched and the methods that were used before I draw any conclusions about this newest effort. This location was important, but I don’t believe it was the end of the road for this investigation.”
Feature Image: Chris Lambert, host and founder of the "Your Own Backyard" podcast, in which he has reported on and discussed the Kristin Smart murder case, stands in front of Susan Flores' house in Arroyo Grande as the SLO County Sheriff's Office conducts a search of the property. Photo by Camille DeVaul/PRP