The Strange Disappearance of Kristen Modafferi - Medium Nineteen-year-old Cal Poly student Kristin Smart went missing after a campus party 25 years ago, and, this summer, her case is finally getting its day in court. Kristin Smart went missing on May 25, 1996 while attending California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and has not been heard from since. Kristin Smart was a 19-year-old freshman at Cal Poly, California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, when she disappeared after a walk home from an off-campus party early in the. IE 11 is not supported. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. When asked about how he got the injury Flores told three different stories. Paul Flores is charged with the murder of Kristin Smart, who disappeared from Cal Poly in 1996. We feel like the stars aligned when the podcast aired, she told Rolling Stone. By then, the semester was over and the room had been cleaned out. They had become close friends despite their differences. "YOUR OWN BACKYARD" PODCAST: EPISODE 1: It's a cold and cloudy winter afternoon in San Luis Obispo and I'm retracing missing Cal Poly student Kristin Smart's last known steps. Kristen has never been found. The 100 Best Albums of 2022. Those were kind of unspoken things. Ms. Smart, who was from Stockton, Calif., was a freshman at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. She said she didn't tell law enforcement about it until she talked to Det. Peuvrelle, who said Ruben Flores has helped cover up the crime for nearly a quarter-century, would continue to do so if freed. A jury acquitted Ruben Flores of the charge of being an accessory after the fact. She was never seen. What's going on? Ann-Marie Christian: became friends with Kristin in elementary school. Chris Lambert's podcast caught the attention of millions of listeners and sparked new interest in the decades-old unsolved case of Kristin Smart. That's when Cole said Ruben asked why they would also be collecting DNA from Susan Flores and her boyfriend and Ruben told him, "They did not commit a felony, only I did.". Mesick argued there were many innocent explanations why soil had previously been dug up in the yard. JAMES MURPHY: What is the name of your father? Im not going to exclude a member of the media (for doing their job).. Kristin Smart: Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong calls the Smarts. every piece of evidence points directly at Paul Flores. SHERIFF IAN PARKINSON [to reporters]: It's been a puzzle and it's a very slow process to find each of those little pieces some of that information came to light through the podcast many of you are familiar with. On July 21, Kristin Smarts parents and her brother, Matt, testified about how they had searched for her after her disappearance. Margarita Campos: She was absolutely sober when I left her. How could she have gone out of town? The younger Flores has long been the only person of interest in Smarts disappearance; she was last seen on May 25th, 1996, after attending a party near campus. Hudson previously testified during the preliminary hearing that while hanging out with a group of skateboarders in San Luis Obispo in 1996, she heard Paul Flores use a derogatory term to refer to Kristin Smart and say, "I'm done playing with her and I put her out underneath my ramp in Huasna.". The judge in the case has issued a gag order preventing lawyers, investigators, witnesses and others from speaking about the case or releasing documents. A very close-knit family. Cole said investigators checked out the skateboard ramp location but did not find a body. D.A. They didn't look at the Flores family's vehicles. to search on and near the Cal Poly campus. "48 Hours" looks back to their arrests and how the saga began. Denise Pearce: To be almost there. But you have to understand, she was a really independent free spirit. D.A. Chris Lambert: They didn't bring cadaver dogs with them. Paul Flores killed Kristin Smart in dorm room during attempted rape, DA Ms. Smarts family declared her legally dead in 2002, but the search, and the investigation, continued. They believe they can prove Paul Flores is responsible for the disappearance of Kristin Smart. The podcast, "Your Own Backyard,"has drawn millions of listeners and focused renewed attention on this decades old case. It's, like, she has nothing on her. They also did not focus on Paul Flores immediately, waiting six days to formally interview him. Ms. Smarts family said they had faith in the justice system, comforted in the knowledge that Kristin has been held in the hearts of so many and that she has not been forgotten.. DAN DOW [press conference]: But the allegation that he was committing or attempting to commit a rape when he killed her, is the basis for which we are able to file first-degree felony murder charges. Just days after taking over the investigation, the San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Office brought several dogs trained to detect human remains, to the Cal Poly dorms. In the late 1990s, the. Missing-person posters and billboards offering rewards appeared along roads and in other public places. James Murphy: To see them in custody was a feeling of great joy for me. Like so many freshmen, Kristin struggled. She left around 2 a.m. and was accompanied by Paul Flores, who was also a student at Cal Poly. And might have connected Kristin to Susan Flores's house, says James Murphy. A missing-person report was filed with the campus police on May 28. The 19-year-old, who is also from Charlotte and a . Back in May 1996, Kristin Smart was finishing her freshman year at California Polytechnic State University better known as Cal Poly. No remains have been found. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Nineteen-year-old Cal Poly student Kristin Smart went missing after a campus party 25. Chris Lambert: As they describe it, Paul Flores just sort of appears out of nowhere. Kristin did not have a purse, money, her I.D. Ruben Flores and his estranged wife Susan have always denied any role in Kristin Smart's disappearance. In the meantime, Paul Flores moved to Southern California, where he bounced from job to job. But one of those friends told police Flores already had the black eye when he arrived. Prior to the arrests, in February 2020, Flores home, his parents home, and his sisters home were searched by police. In fact, Cheryl Anderson, who trusted Flores to walk Kristin back to her dorm alone, told police that her friends called him "Chester the molester," because he was known for groping girls. It's fine. Even though he'd never investigated anything before, Lambert quit his job to create a podcast about the case. They havent revealed what was found but returned to the yard for additional digging after the arrests. Jonathan Vigliotti: How did you know she hadn't been back? Margarita Campos: To this day, like, I was like, why why did I just let her go by herself? And yes, we did find physical evidence at, at least two homes. DAN DOW [press conference]: We don't have evidence sufficient to charge anyone else at this time. The sheriff's office seized the trailer and Det. A college student at North Carolina State University, ABC 7 writes that Modafferi had received a scholarship to work and live in a different city for the summer. Prosecutor Chris Peuvrelle asked him if he found the remains of any monkeys or ferrets or any human bodies on the property. Police investigated whether Durst, 71, who lived in San Francisco at the time Modafferi went missing, was connected to her disappearance. They asked him not to use their names: PODCAST EPISODE 2 | WOMAN #1: Well his nickname was "Scary Paul.". Nikki Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for the court, said the documents were not supposed to be public. "Up and Vanished" led a man to confess to killing a . The defense argued that other skateboarders who were at the San Luis Obispo location said they never saw Paul there, and Hudson's boyfriend denied ever seeing Paul in Huasna or anywhere else. I'm going to go back to the dorms. A California jury has found Paul Flores, the man accused of the 1996 murder of Kristin Smart, guilty of first-degree murder, according to a news release from the San Luis Obispo County District. And DNA evidence could not be found linking any other evidence to Kristin. And so, she pulled me into this sort of like, "oh come on, let's socialize. 'Keep her memory alive': Organizer encourages community to spread The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time When they reached the turnoff to Cheryl's dorm, she says Flores tried to hug and kiss her. It worked. At the time of the April 13 arrests, the sheriff said he believed that had enough evidence to win convictions. Authorities made clear that they plan to use Flores' alleged predatory behavior against him. I guess the answer is yes. Also included is the result of a February 4th, 2020 search of Paul Flores San Pedro home, where San Luis Obispo County Sheriffs investigators seized electronic devices that featured videos showing Flores having sex with seemingly incapacitated women. The document presented summaries of why prosecutors didn't want either man to be released pending a trial that could be years away. Lambert says Kristin could not stand on her own, so fellow student Cheryl Anderson who was also at the party began helping her back to campus. And she's like, "please come with me. Denise Pearce: The investigation was completely botched by the campus police. The document said investigators at the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Department had biological evidence indicating Smart was once buried under Ruben Flores' deck behind his home in nearby Arroyo Grande. Kristen was in her first year at Cal Poly when she vanished in 1996. I did have guilt about that. Lindsey Smart Stewart: It just amazes me the amount of evidence that's available, yet nothing has happened. He says Smart seemed uncomfortable but was too nice to ask the boy to leave. We just, "do you know anything about it". Axel Koester/Sygma via Getty Images. We want to hear it. James Murphy: And it says wrongful death and then I put murder. Kristen Deborah Modafferi (born June 1, 1979; disappeared June 23, 1997) is an American woman who, at the age of 18, in the early summer of 1997, disappeared in mysterious circumstances after leaving her work at the Crocker Galleria Mall in San Francisco, California. But Parkinson acknowledges it hasn't been easy. San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office, via Associated Press. Dennis Mahon's Podcast He has denied any involvement. The two are charged in connection with the death of Cal Poly freshman Kristin Smart. In March, the Oakland Police Department released a statement saying that it had worked with the FBI and found no evidence indicating Durst was involved. Chris Lambert: Paul keeps stopping along the way and letting Cheryl Anderson know, you can go on ahead. Margarita Campos: Kristin was like, "come on, let's go, let's go." But was there evidence possibly placing Kristin Smart at his mother's home? "Should he be allowed bail, it is a virtual certainty that he would use his freedom to continue his attempts to help Paul Flores thwart prosecution in this case and continue to hide her remains.. But Paul Flores was never charged with any of these incidents. Testimony is expected to continue Wednesday. Det. D.A. Chris Lambert: It was never marked as evidence apparently. Like the Smart's civil case, theirs also has been on hold. JAMES MURPHY: Does your son have any information as to where Kristin Smart's body is located? DAN DOW [press conference]: The allegation against Ruben is that he helped to conceal Kristen's body after the murder was committed. James Murphy: they let the dog in, the dog makes a beeline to the bed of Paul Flores. But Margarita says, the police did not seem concerned. And while they did not rush to investigate Flores, Kristin's family says campus police were very quick to judge her. Through the years, the Smarts have kept pressure on the Flores family. In March 2021, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office served a search warrant at the Arroyo Grande home of Ruben Flores. Please come with me." Send us a tip using our anonymous form. Lindsey Smart Stewart: She had traveled the world before she even made it to college. Real Name: Kristen Deborah Modafferi Nicknames: No known nicknames Location: San Francisco, California Date: June 23, 1997 Bio Occupation: Student Date of Birth: June 1, 1979 Height: 5' 8" Weight: 140 lbs. PODCAST EPISODE 3: Something shiny catches her eye next to the front driver side tire. But the Flores's have fought back, suing the Smarts for intentional infliction of emotional distress. The court document was filed before bail arguments Monday in San Luis Obispo Superior Court when the father and son were arraigned. He also said that law enforcement leaked information to "Your Own Backyard" podcaster Chris Lambert. That mother, Mary Lassiter, described it to Chris Lambert. ", Although suspicion surrounded Flores almost from the beginning, any hopes for an arrest were dashed in May 1997 when then-Sheriff Ed Williams made an admission to the San Luis Obispo Telegraph: "We need Paul Flores to tell us what happened to Kristin Smart so absent something from Mr. Flores, I don't see us completing this case.". He has not been charged in those incidents. After almost 25 years of suspicion, on April 13, 2021, San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson announced the arrest ofPaul Flores in the disappearance of Kristin Smart. PODCAST EPISODE 4: At 8 a.m. on June 19th, 2000, a team of sheriff's investigators knocks on the front door of Susan Flores's East Branch Street home. Chris Lambert: The only thing he would confirm on tape is that his name is Paul Flores. Alex Murdaugh Found Guilty of Murdering Wife and Son He built the home on White Court for Ruben and Susan Flores in 1991. Chadwell answered no. Mesick declined to comment Tuesday, citing the gag order. Chris Lambert: He told those friends he just woke up with the black eye. JAMES MURPHY: What is your present residence address? But 22 years later, when he couldn't find any recent stories about the case, he decided to do something. The day after my sister disappeared, Paul Flores had a black eye and scratches on him. They described dropping her off at the party at an unofficial fraternity house, and said that when it was over, she needed support to walk as she was being accompanied home by Paul Flores. Jonathan Vigliotti: And that weighs on you. Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. Sources tell us investigators discovered videos and photographs on Flores' computer showing him engaged in sexual activity with at least 10 different women, apparently in various states of consciousness. For more than two decades, her family, friends, and supporters searched for answers and for justice. PODCAST EPISODE 2: So, with Cheryl's account alone, we have an unsettling picture of Paul . Twenty-five years after Smart went missing, a prime suspect is charged with murder. In the spring of 1996, Kristin Smart, a 19-year-old college student, left an off-campus party in San Luis Obispo, Calif., and walked home to her dormitory. Bei der Nutzung unserer Websites und Apps verwenden wir, unsere Websites und Apps fr Sie bereitzustellen, Nutzer zu authentifizieren, Sicherheitsmanahmen anzuwenden und Spam und Missbrauch zu verhindern, und, Ihre Nutzung unserer Websites und Apps zu messen, personalisierte Werbung und Inhalte auf der Grundlage von Interessenprofilen anzuzeigen, die Effektivitt von personalisierten Anzeigen und Inhalten zu messen, sowie, unsere Produkte und Dienstleistungen zu entwickeln und zu verbessern. But the judge indicated he would set a reasonable bail amount Wednesday for the father, who has health problems is currently in the San Luis Obispo jail on $250,000 bail. Margarita soon decided she'd had enough. She was gone. When Kristin Smart disappeared, Paul Flores's parents Susan and Ruben were separated and living apart. Also taking the witness stand on Wednesday was Edward Chadwell. He's going to find her body, which is awful for a parent. Later, the sheriff's office obtained a warrant for Ruben's DNA and Det. She left them only after he promised to take Kristin back to her dorm. Ian Parkinson: Yes. When they showed up, it was Paul Flores. And here's your key." "48 Hours" has learned these suspicions center around evidence found during that 2020 search of Paul Flores' home. What Chris did was take a local story and turn it into an international story. Why? Lambert began looking into what happened to Kristin, collecting articles and documents, chasing down leads and tracking down anyone with information. Nearly a week after their arrests, father and son both pleaded not guilty in San Luis Obispo County Superior Court. 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Cole testified that Hudson told him about Paul's statement and that she'd also seen Paul with his white pickup truck at the skateboard ramp in Huasna. but I knew that I could try to do a small part. In March 2021, investigators used cadaver dogs and ground-penetrating radar to search Ruben Floress property in Arroyo Grande, Calif. Paul Flores was taken into custody at his home in the San Pedro section of Los Angeles on April 13, 2021, and was charged with murder. I knocked on her door, and I thought she was just sleeping, or she went out and about, you know? At the time, they did not know about a missing college student. 1 of 47. Ken Blum is the editor. It encouraged the previously reluctant to come forward. This obviously gave law enforcement new leads to follow and connect with what they already were holding close.. She was never seen again and her body has not been located. For the next 25 years, I did whatever I could and looked for answers wherever I could, Denise Smart told the court, according to CBS 13, a local television station. Ruben Flores, 80, has pleaded not guilty to a charge of accessory after the murder for hiding Smart's body after his son allegedly killed her. It was first reported by The Tribune, and a reporter posted snippets of documents on Twitter. Kristin Smart, a bright, adventurous communication studies freshman at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, went missing May 25, 1996. He later told investigators that he walked her as far as his dorm, where they parted ways. But Paul Flores remained behind bars help without bail. It wasn't until Kristin's roommate returned to their dorm room, that Margarita realized Kristin never came home. But as Chris Lambert learned, Flores's pattern of behavior with women didn't stop. Um, wherever we can punch holes. His father, Ruben, is charged as an accessory. James Murphy: Somebody found an earring that they say was Kristin Smart's jewelry in the driveway. Two days after her daughter went missing, Denise Smart got a call from Cal Poly's campus police. Cole also testified that on March 9, 2020, a witness reported some suspicious activity at the property. She feared for her life, so did not tell anyone at the time or for years after. The Kristin Smart disappearance: After 26 years, Paul Flores is convicted of murder 20 photos. Van Rooyen saying that his release could result in great bodily harm to the public. PDF KRISTEN MODAFFERI - Federal Bureau of Investigation Klicken Sie auf Alle ablehnen, wenn Sie nicht mchten, dass wir und unsere Partner Cookies und personenbezogene Daten fr diese zustzlichen Zwecke verwenden. PODCAST EPISODE 2 | WOMAN #2: You wouldn't want to be alone in a room with him. Denise Pearce: Kristin hasn't come home And we're not sure where she is We don't know anything. We want to especially thank the District Attorneys Office for their relentless efforts. Paul Flores and defense attorney Robert Sanger in court on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021. On June 23, 1997, Kristen left the coffee shop where she worked, Spinelli's Coffee in San Francisco's Crocker Galleria. She was pushing herself out of her comfort zone. Susan's house was finally searched in March 1997 nine months after Kristin disappeared but nothing was found. I've got her. Shocking allegations in newly unsealed docs in Kristin Smart case And I was screaming. Investigators in Kristin Smart case serve search warrant at the home of the prime suspect's father Smart was last seen near her California Polytechnic State University (CalPoly) dorm, but she. He later argued that the biological evidence found under the deck was not conclusively human blood. When they were deposed by James Murphy, they also insisted their son was not involved. His is the latest in a line of true-crime podcasts to play a role in an arrest, a court appeal or even an exoneration. Judge van Rooyen announced in April that the trial would be moved to Monterey County, about 140 miles north of San Luis Obispo, after the defense team requested the change of venue because of extensive publicity around the case. All Rights reserved. 3. In addition, the documents include a phone tap from January 2020 in which Pauls mother, Susan, tells her son: The other thing I need you to do is to start listening to the podcast. Cole also talked about his interview with Jennifer Hudson in November 2019. most importantly they wanna find their daughter. Kristen Modafferi was last seen on the afternoon of June 23, 1997, at the coffee shop where she was working in the Crocker Galleria Mall in San Francisco, California. They were after Paul Flores for an outstanding DUI warrant. That turned out to be college. And I was like, "nah, I have to study." Peterson may or may not have been at the party Smart disappeared after. October 22, 2022 / 10:10 PM In a statement, the Smart family described a long wait for this bittersweet day.. They also uncovered videos in a folder labeled practice that featured women wearing ball gags and in other fetish positions. Nineteen-year-old Kristin Smart disappeared Memorial Day weekend of 1996. Three more witnesses are expected to take the stand on Thursday, including two cadaver dog handlers.___. To declare to the public if you stay quiet, you will get away with this. Paul Flores and his father both pleaded not guilty to all charges at their arraignment. Margarita Campos: I'll never forget her shadow against the building, this apartment complex, just standing like kind of cross-armed with the long leg And she was just kind of like looking at me like, [sighs] you're really walking away now, like you're really, you're leaving?
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