SAN LUIS COUNTY, Calif. — Paul Flores, the man named as the prime suspect in the 1996 disappearance of Cal Poly student Kristin Smart, was arrested early Tuesday in California, according to reports.
Flores was taken into custody by San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Moreover, Flores’ father, Ruben, was also arrested at his home in Arroyo Grande.
Ruben Flores, 80, was booked at the San Luis Obispo County Jail shortly after 9:30 a.m. on a single charge of being an accessory after the fact. His bail is set at $250,000, according to KSBY-TV.
The sheriff’s office earlier on Tuesday said it will announce “major developments” in the investigation at 2 p.m. local time.
Flores, who was a student with Smart at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, was believed to be the last person seen with her before she vanished while walking back to her dorm.
In the nearly 25 years since Smart’s disappearance, Flores has denied any wrongdoing.
May 25, 2021 marks 25 years since Kristin’s disappearance. While her body has never been found, she was declared legally dead on May 25, 2002. She would have been 44-years-old this past February.
KSBY News reached out to Paul Flores’s attorney, Robert Sanger. He declined comment.
