What happened to Kristin Smart?

Kristin Smart was an American woman who disappeared and was found to have been murdered by Paul Flores near the end of her freshman year at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

On May 25, 1996, Smart attended an off-campus party hosted by a fellow Cal Poly University student. She was discovered passed out on a neighbour’s lawn around 2 a.m., and two students began to assist her in walking to her dorm room.

A third student, Paul Flores, joined the group, and because his dorm was close to Smart’s, Flores assured the other two students that he would safely transport Kristin home.

Paul Flores stated to police that he walked Smart as far as his dormitory, Santa Lucia Hall, and then allowed her to walk back to her Muir Hall dorm by herself.

Smart was never seen again, and no trace of her has been found in searches since her disappearance. She had no identification, money, or extra clothing when she went missing, according to officials.

Paul Flores was found guilty of Kristin Smart’s murder on October 18, 2022. Prosecutors claimed Flores raped or attempted to rape Smart and murdered her in his dorm room at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.