Watch: SLO County district attorney talks about Kristin Smart arrests, prosecution

Read the latest updates to this story >> >> Paul Flores sexually assaulted and murdered Kristin Smart, SLO County DA says

The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office held a news conference Wednesday morning to discuss two recent arrests tied to the disappearance of missing Cal Poly student Kristin Smart. Watch a recording of the livestream here:

District Attorney Dan Dow spoke at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the agency’s office about the arrests of Paul and Ruben Flores and the next steps for the criminal case against them.

Paul Flores, 44, of San Pedro was arrested Tuesday morning on suspicion of murdering Smart, who went missing in 1996.

His 80-year-old father, Arroyo Grande resident Ruben Flores, was arrested Tuesday and charged with being an accessory in the crime.

San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson held a news conference Tuesday to discuss the arrests and the investigation into Smart’s disappearance. Parkinson said that forensic evidence in the case has been collected but the Sheriff’s Office is still searching for Smart’s body.

The case is now in the hands of the District Attorney’s Office to charge as a criminal prosecution in court.

This story was originally published April 14, 2021 at 11:01 AM with the headline "Watch: SLO County district attorney talks about Kristin Smart arrests, prosecution."