• Updated

Scientists have taken soil samples outside a home connected to the man convicted of killing 19-year-old college student Kristin Smart in 1996. The men could not speak to the press but specialize in soil and human decomposition. They were there after the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office served a warrant on the home of Susan Flores. Her son Paul Flores was convicted in 2022 of killing Smart, whose body was never found. The scientists also took samples from a neighbor’s yard. Authorities have not answered questions about what prompted the search.