Kristin Smart murder case: Investigators probe grounds to unlock a 30-year mystery

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Scientists equipped with soil vapor detection equipment and ground radar were at the home of the mother of Kristin Smart’s convicted killer for a second day, scanning the ground for secrets in the dirt 30 years after she vanished.On Thursday, soil engineer Tim Nelligan and former FBI chemist Brian Eckenrode, assisted by local soil scientist Steve Hoyt, placed probes into the ground near Susan Flores’ property in the heart of Arroyo Grande.They were joined by a team of ground radar experts who scanned the heavily concreted property, assisting the San Luis Obispo County sheriff with serving a search warrant at the home.“We’re rooting around for answers,” Nelligan said, “We all want to bring Denise and Stan Smart some peace after all these years.” Susan Flores’ son, Paul Flores, was the last person seen with Smart as the two walked toward her dormitory at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo after a 1996 Memorial Day party.

She was eventually declared dead, but her remains have never been found.Decades passed before Flores was arrested and tried.He was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison three years ago for Smart’s murder.

But, insisting on his innocence, he has never provided a location for her remains.Three years ago, Nelligan and his colleagues, working from the backyard of a neighbor of Susan Flores, used soil vapor sampling to detect volatile organic compounds they say may be associated with decomposing human remains.Nelligan, an environmental engineer from San Clemente, met Smart in college.

He recalls her knocking on his door and asking to use his landline phone.Nelligan was out in that yard again this week.He pushed a small tool known as a soil vapor probe, with a long, straw-like attachment, about three to five feet into the earth.

Any gases the probe encounters are vacuumed in and collected, then sealed in a canister.The extracted volatile organic compounds ...