SLO County Sheriff’s Office concludes search for evidence in Kristin Smart case at Flores’ Arroyo Grande home

ARROYO GRANDE, Calif. -- The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office concluded a two-day search of the home of Ruben Flores Tuesday afternoon.

Flores is the father of Paul Flores, who has been has been named as "the prime suspect in the disappearance of Kristin Smart."

During the search at the Arroyo Grande home, investigators were seen Tuesday searching the property with shovels, ground-penetrating radar and other equipment.

Sheriff Ian Parkinson was on location and seen walking around the property throughout the morning.

The search officially began Monday morning and ended around 2 p.m. Tuesday afternoon.

"They really (left fast)," said Lynette Johnson, an interested bystander who spent the past two days around the Flores home. "No lingering whatsoever. They got what they needed and they left."

NewsChannel reporter Dave Alley monitored the situation and said the search was focused on the area below the deck of the multi-level home earlier in the day.

HAPPENING NOW: SLO County Sheriff's investigators actively digging on the Flores property. Officials can be seen with shovels focusing on an area several yards away from the house. Search of the site has been ongoing since early this morning. pic.twitter.com/TwZkupzZ2y

— Dave Alley (@DaveAlleyTV) March 16, 2021

Detectives began digging just a few yards from the house on Flores' property Tuesday afternoon before the sheriff's office announced the search was finished.

I am cautiously optimistic," said Cammie Karamanlis, an intersted observed who lives nearby. "I mean, this is big that they're actually digging, so I'm really hopeful that they're actually finding some concrete evidence."

Within just a few minutes of starting to dig on the property, crews packed up and left the scene immediately.

At the same time Sheriff's officials left the scene, the office released a brief statement that said the search was over and the department would not comment "on what, if any, evidence has been discovered."

Shortly after Sheriff's investigators left, Ruben and Susan Flores, the parents of Paul Flores, arrived at the house.

When offered an opportunity to speak, they both declined to comment.

The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office has been searching for Smart for nearly 25 years.

She disappeared while walking back to her dorm room in San Luis Obispo in May 1996.

Paul Flores is the last known person to see Smart alive.

Check back for updates.