Investigators are still looking for Kristin Smart’s body, sheriff says on radio show

Radio host Adam Montiel interviewed Sheriff Ian Parkinson on his Up & Adam in the Morning show on Thursday morning, asking if he’d reveal where authorities think Kristin Smart’s body is located.

Parkinson responded that the victim’s body has not yet been found, however.

Parkinson and District Attorney Dan Dow announced the arrests and charges of Paul Flores on suspicion of murder and his father Ruben Flores for accessory to the alleged crime this week.

Dow said in his Wednesday news conference that investigators have a general idea of Smart’s burial location: “It’s alleged that Ruben Flores assisted in secreting (Smart’s body) after the homicide. We do believe we have the location where the body was buried. We looked at multiple properties. I’m going to stay away from specifics.”

Dow also said, “We have evidence where we believe there’s a location where Ms. Smart was taken.”

But after two days of searching at Ruben Flores’ home in Arroyo Grande, Parkinson said investigators are still looking.

“If I knew where Kristin was located, you’d know today because I would have announced that,” Parkinson said.

Parkinson said the case is in the district attorney’s hands in terms of the court process, but for the sheriff, “The case is not over until Kristin is returned home.”

Parkinson said that Paul Flores didn’t have any conversation with authorities on his sheriff’s car ride from San Pedro, where he was arrested, to San Luis Obispo, where he was booked in County Jail.

The sheriff said investigators remain open to a conversation with Flores: “There’s always the desire to get someone to share their side of the story, but if they’re not prepared to provide it, you have to move forward without it.”

Parkinson said every piece of evidence was important in making an arrest, without identifying a particular piece of evidence.

“It’s a collection of everything,” Parkinson said, adding he felt from the very beginning that the media’s attention to this case is important for possible leads and evidence to be gathered.

This story was originally published April 15, 2021 at 6:14 PM.