Kristin Smart, a California college student, vanished in 1996. Her case made headlines across the country. Now, 25 years later, San Luis Obispo (SLO) County Sheriff Ian Parkinson said two men have been arrested and charged with her murder, though her body has never been found.

During the press conference announcing the arrest of the men, Parkinson said that while they did not discover Smart’s body, they have come across forensic physical evidence that they “believe it is linked to Kristin.” The sheriff has talked to her family twice since the arrests; he told reporters at the press conference, which was held on Tuesday, 4/13.

“I think they are feeling a bit of relief, but as you can imagine, until we return Kristin to them, this is not over. We have committed to them that we are not going to stop until Kristen has been recovered, no matter what the cause, no matter what the time, we’re committed to that.”

“It is impossible to put into words what this day means for our family; we pray it is the first step to bringing our daughter home,” the family said. “While Kristin’s loving spirit will always live in our hearts, our life without her hugs laughs, and smiles is a heartache that never abates.”

“We are pleased that Kristin’s case has now moved to the district attorney’s office, where we know we will be in good hands, and look forward to the day when there will be ‘justice’ for Kristin,” they said.

The two suspects have been booked into the San Luis Obispo County Jail, according to online inmate records. Paul Flores, 44, has been booked on a murder charge, the records show. No bail amount is listed. Ruben Flores, 80, has been booked on an accessory charge and is being held on $250,000 bail.

Robert Sanger, an attorney representing Paul Flores, said he would not comment on “pending cases.”

District Attorney Dan Dow said his office is looking at the case.

“We are carefully reviewing the evidence and will provide more information as it becomes available,” Dow said in a statement.

Flores Has Long Been the Prime Suspect in the Case

Authorities say that Paul Flores has always been the prime suspect in Smart’s disappearance. According to CNN, Last month, authorities searched Ruben Flores’ home in Arroyo Grande.

“Additional evidence related to the Smart investigation was discovered at that time,” the sheriff said, without specifying what was found.

Paul Flores has been the prime suspect in the decades-long missing persons case. Officials have said Flores, who was a 19-year-old freshman at the time, walked Smart home. He was the last person to see her alive on May 25, 1996, authorities have said.

CBS Los Angeles reported that in February 2020, and again in April of 2020, detectives raided Paul Flores’ home in San Pedro, some 25 miles south of LA. The station also said Flores was arrested in February 2021 on an unrelated weapons charge and was released on bail at the time.

Smart was last seen near her California Polytechnic State University dorm, but she never made it to her room, police said. Friends and family never heard from her again.

She did not have identification, money, or extra clothing when she disappeared, police said. Smart was declared dead in 2002.

A family spokesman, in a statement to released to CBS News, said, “The knowledge that a father and son, despite our desperate pleas for help, could have withheld this horrible secret for nearly 25 years, denying us the chance to lay our daughter to rest, is an unrelenting and unforgiving pain.”