Story perspectives

Remains Found at Flores Home; $350K Paid for Smart Search

5/9/2026

Summary

Story summary

Investigators found evidence of human remains at Susan Flores’s Arroyo Grande home through soil sampling and ground-penetrating radar.
Sheriff Ian Parkinson said investigators will keep probing until all leads are exhausted, adding that District Attorney Dan Dow said office remains committed to locating Kristin Smart’s remains.
A 2024 judge ordered Paul Flores to pay $350,000 to the Smart family, which will halt the claim if he reveals the remains’ location.

History

Historical Context

The 1997 Los Angeles Superior Court judgment against O.J. Simpson, ordering $33.5 million for Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman’s families, showed courts can use large monetary awards to pressure defendants. Decades later, in 2024 a California judge ordered Paul Flores to pay $350,000 to Kristin Smart’s family to compel disclosure of her remains, continuing the trend of leveraging civil penalties in high-profile homicide cases.

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Story summary

Investigators found evidence of human remains at Susan Flores’s Arroyo Grande home through soil sampling and ground-penetrating radar.
Sheriff Ian Parkinson said investigators will keep probing until all leads are exhausted, adding that District Attorney Dan Dow said office remains committed to locating Kristin Smart’s remains.
A 2024 judge ordered Paul Flores to pay $350,000 to the Smart family, which will halt the claim if he reveals the remains’ location.

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