An Arroyo Grande native, Chris Lambert, has spent the last year and a half trying to piece together what actually happened the night a Cal Poly student, Kristin Smart, went missing.
The documentary podcast series "Your Own Backyard" includes interviews with Smart's parents, childhood friends, and old classmates.
Lambert says he has not reached out to the San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Department regarding the case or his podcast, but said he plans to in the future.
"Her name has been in the news since I was a little kid and as I got older, I started checking online, thinking, did they ever solve that case?" said Lambert.
Lambert says his mission with the podcast and the investigation will continue to be bringing the Smart family closure.
“I hope somebody calls tomorrow and tells me that they know where Kristin is. That’s the number one thing," added Lambert.
Lambert says the release of the podcast has even prompted listeners from out of state to reach out with information regarding Smart. He says it took being about a year into his research until he finally made the decision to leave his full-time job as an engineer in order to dig deeper into the investigation.
Smart went missing on May 25, 1996 and was reportedly last seen walking back to her dorm room at Muir Hall after leaving an off-campus party.
According to investigators, Paul Flores, who was also a Cal Poly student at the time, has been referred to as a person of interest in the case.
The San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Department tells KSBY the case is still an ongoing active investigation.
If you have any tips or leads on this case, you can contact the Sheriff's department at (805) 781-4500.
You can listen to "Your Own Backyard" On Apple, Spotify, or by clicking here.
