"Scientists equipped with soil vapor detection equipment and ground radar were at the home of the mother of Kristin Smart's killer for a second day, scanning the ground for secrets in the dirt 30 years after she vanished. Soil engineer Tim Nelligan and former FBI chemist Brian Eckerode, assisted by local soil scientist Steve Hoyt, placed probes into the ground near Susan Flores' property in the heart of Arroyo Grande."
"Susan Flores' son, Paul Flores, was the last person seen with Smart as the two walked toward her dormitory at Cal State San Luis Obispo after a 1996 Memorial Day weekend 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."
"Nelligan pushed a small tool known as a soil vapor probe, with a long, straw-like attachment, about 3 to 5 feet into the earth. Any gases the probe encountered were vacuumed in and collected, then sealed in a canister. The extracted volatile organic compounds can then be sent for analysis."
Soil engineers and forensic experts conducted a second day of excavation at Susan Flores' property in Arroyo Grande, searching for remains of Kristin Smart, who vanished in 1996. Paul Flores, Susan's son, was the last person seen with Smart after a Memorial Day weekend party at Cal State San Luis Obispo. He was convicted and sentenced to 25 years to life for her murder three years ago but maintains his innocence and has never revealed her remains' location. The search team, including soil engineer Tim Nelligan, used soil vapor probes to detect volatile organic compounds potentially associated with decomposing human remains, and ground radar experts scanned the heavily concreted property.
Read at Los Angeles Times
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]