Kriti Mehrotra
NBC’s ‘Dateline: Justice For Kristin Smart’ chronicles the tale of a 19-year-old California Polytechnic State University student who disappeared on May 25, 1996, after attending a party on campus, never to be seen or heard from again. It has long been believed that she was abducted and killed at the end of her freshman year of college, the very same night she left the party. But now, fellow college student Paul Flores, the last person to have seen her alive, has actually been convicted as her perpetrator. It was Kristin’s parents who led the battle against him — so now, if you wish to learn more about them, we’ve got you covered.
Who Are Kristin Smart’s Parents?
Kristin Smart was the daughter of educators Stan and Denise Smart, the people who did everything in their power to help solve their daughter’s case and prevent other parents from ever experiencing such a tragedy. In 1996 itself, when it first came to light that Paul Flores could’ve had a hand in her disappearance, they began a campaign to get the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office involved, which they succeeded in as summer came to a close. The couple actually did so without once neglecting their other two children.
Then, to get Paul to reveal some valuable information regarding what happened to their daughter or even find the location of her remains, Stan and Denise filed a $40 million wrongful death lawsuit against him in November 1996. They always believed in their hearts that Paul murdered their daughter, only to be proven right following more than 26 years. Though, in the same civil case, the Smarts later included Cal Poly as well, alleging that the University failed to keep Kristin safe, something which it was obligated to do.
The result of this lawsuit is unclear, but we do know that Stan and Denise, along with their lawyer, had even tried to get the officers in charge and the police department to give them the necessary records to prove their case. However, these documents remained confidential, that is, until Paul and his father, Ruben Flores, ultimately stood trial in 2022 for their alleged hand in Kristin’s death — they were arrested in 2021. Therefore, with the former’s conviction of first-degree murder, the couple is glad to finally have some closure. They still, unfortunately, don’t know what happened to their daughter’s body, but they were happy to get her justice.
Kristin Smart’s Parents Are Empowering Young Women Today
Denise and Stan Smart, in their 70s, currently seem to reside in Stockton, California, surrounded by their two remaining children, Matthew and Lindsey, as well as their loving grandchildren. Today, according to her LinkedIn profile, the former serves as an Instructor at the Teacher’s College of San Joaquin, helping new educators adjust to their roles as guiding figures in young lives. She was reportedly a teacher for 30 years, first in Marysville and then in the Lincoln Unified School District in Stockton. Stan, like his wife, worked as a teacher prior to moving on to be a counselor, principal, and trainer. Yet he has since retired.
Because the Smart family suffered an unimaginable loss that turned their whole world upside down, they have been finding ways to ensure that no one else goes through what they went through. They thus pushed the State of California to create better safety regulations for students at Universities, which eventually led to the passage of the Kristin Smart Campus Safety Act in 1998. Then, to keep the memories of their daughter alive and celebrate who she was in a positive light, they launched the still-active Kristin Smart Scholarship to empower other young and ambitious women to pursue their dreams without any financial worries.
Read More: How Did Kristin Smart Die?
