Sheriff reflects on 30 years since Kristin Smart’s disappearance

By Staff Report · Tue May 26 2026

SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY — Marking the 30th anniversary of the disappearance of Kristin Smart, San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson released a statement Monday reaffirming the Sheriff’s Office's commitment to locating Smart and bringing her home.

Smart vanished on May 25, 1996, after attending an off-campus party near Cal Poly. Her disappearance became one of California’s most widely followed missing person cases.

In his statement, Parkinson said Smart’s disappearance “forever changed the lives of her family, her friends, and a community that has never stopped searching for answers.”

The sheriff noted that the efforts of investigators, detectives, prosecutors, and community members over the past three decades ultimately led to the 2022 murder conviction of Paul Flores. However, he emphasized that the case remains unresolved because Smart’s remains have not been found.

“As I said following the verdict in 2022, there is no true justice until Kristin is reunited with her family,” Parkinson said. “That remains our mission today.”

Parkinson said the Sheriff’s Office will continue pursuing leads and conducting searches connected to the case.

He also described Smart as “more than a headline or a case that captured national attention,” calling her “a daughter, a sister, a friend, and a young woman with her entire future ahead of her.”

The statement concluded with a message to the Smart family and the broader community, thanking supporters for continuing to seek justice and pledging that the investigation will continue “until Kristin is brought home.”