Will new Kristin Smart billboard help solve her case? This SLO County resident hopes so
Inspired by a popular podcast about missing Cal Poly student Kristin Smart, a San Luis Obispo County man has installed a new billboard asking for information into her 1996 disappearance.
Scott Millar said he decided to install a new billboard near his home on the corner of Highway 1 and Halcyon Road in Oceano after listening to episodes of the “Your Own Backyard” by Orcutt resident Chris Lambert.
The podcast explores the circumstances of Smart’s disappearance from the San Luis Obispo university campus on Memorial Day weekend 23 years ago. It has inspired renewed interest into her case in recent weeks, and potentially driven a series of new developments in the investigation.
Millar, who moved to Arroyo Grande as a child the fall after Smart’s disappearance, said he’s long wanted to put up a billboard similar to one posted in the Village of Arroyo Grande.
A billboard proclaiming a reward for information into Smart’s disappearance has long rested in the front yard of attorney James Murphy’s office at 221 E. Branch St. The original billboard was recently replaced with a new one, donated by Brand Creative West.
“I wanted to put a sign up years ago, but I got sidetracked,” Millar said. “After listening to the podcast however, and seeing that there was a new sign in the Arroyo Grande Village, I stopped by James Murphy’s office to see if I could get ahold of the old sign.”
The old sign was “in tatters” though, Millar said, so he decided to buy a brand-new one from Brand Creative West for $230.
Millar said he hopes his Oceano billboard will help “further public interest in the investigation,” and that more similar billboards pop up around the South County.
He’s even volunteering to help anyone who wishes to post similar signs on their properties.
“I pray that the new developments in the case will lead to a conviction,” Millar said. “That Kristin’s body is recovered, and her family is finally able to lay her body to rest.”
This story was originally published February 13, 2020 at 5:59 PM.
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