The disappearance of Kristin Smart, a 19-year-old Cal Poly San Luis Obispo freshman, on May 25, 1996, remains an unsolved mystery. Dateline is revisiting the case in a two-hour episode titled ‘Justice for Kristin Smart’, airing Friday on NBC. The program will feature Kristin’s family, investigators, and prosecutors.
The official synopsis for the episode reads: “Kristin Smart, a freshman at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, vanishes during Memorial Day weekend in 1996.”
“Kristin’s parents open up about their frustration with the school’s handling of the investigation — and their over-25-year journey to getting answers.”
What happened to Kristin Smart?
Kristin Smart was last seen intoxicated and walking back to her Muir Hall dorm from an off-campus party with fellow student Paul Flores. She suddenly vanished. Her body was never found.
On October 18, 2022, Paul Flores was found guilty of the murder, and his father, Ruben Flores, was acquitted of ‘accessory after the fact’.
“Today, our criminal and victim justice system has finally delivered justice for Kristin Smart, for the Smart family, and for our San Luis Obispo County community,” San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow said at the time.
“We thank the Smart family and our community for the tremendous trust and patience they placed in the investigation and prosecution of this terrible crime.”
Kristin’s mother, Denise, told Dateline that she was ‘immediately fearful because that is just not her’.
“Even though we had this feeling that something was wrong, I don’t think we could grasp at that moment how bad it could be,” Kristin’s friend Vanessa Shields said, as seen in the preview.
2019 podcast
The case broke open with renewed efforts in 2019, spurred by the Your Own Backyard podcast and new witness testimony, leading to searches with ground-penetrating radar and cadaver dogs.
Smart was legally declared dead in 2002, her family suing Cal Poly in 2024 for negligence, claiming delayed action enabled the crime.
