New search warrant in Kristin Smart case, decades after 19-year-old disappeared

Nearly 30 years after 19-year-old Kristin Smart disappeared, California investigators conducted new search warrants as part of their ongoing probe into the location of her body.

The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday that deputies executed a search warrant at the 500 block of East Branch Street.

The sheriff's office declined to provide further details about the operation.

"The Sheriff’s Office remains committed to bringing Kristin home to her family. No further information is available," it said in a statement.

Inside the decadeslong search for justice in the Kristin Smart disappearance

Smart attended an off-campus party at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, where she was a freshman, on May 24, 1996, but never returned to her dormitory.

Investigators declared Smart legally dead in 2002 and the case remained cold until 17 years later, when the true crime podcast "Your Own Backyard" launched and helped investigators to get new witnesses and evidence.

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In 2021, investigators arrested and charged Paul Flores, who was a student at the college at the time of Smart's disappearance.

Detectives said that some classmates found Smart passed out during the early morning hours of May 25, 1996, and Flores appeared out of nowhere. He claimed to the other classmates that he knew where she lived and offered to help her to her dorm, detectives said.

Paul Flores sentenced to 25 years to life for murder of Kristin Smart

Flores was interviewed by officers following Smart's disappearance, but he was not charged.

In 2021,police searched the homebelonging to Flores' father, Ruben Flores, and allegedly found human blood and fibers in the dirt that matched the colors of the clothing Smart had been wearing when she went missing.

A juryconvicted Paul Floresin October 2022 of first-degree murder and he wassentencedin 2023 to 25 years to life.

Ruben Flores was charged with being an accessory to murder; however, a jury acquitted him on those charges.

Paul Flores appealed his conviction, but in January, the California Supreme Court denied his petition for review of his conviction.

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New search warrant in Kristin Smart case, decades after 19-year-old disappeared

Nearly 30 years after 19-year-old Kristin Smart disappeared, California investigators conducted new search warrants as part of their on...

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Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged suicide note released by federal judge

A federal court on Wednesday released asuicide note that Jeffrey Epstein allegedly wroteprior to his death in 2019 as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. The nature of Epstein’s death has been hotly debated by observers, though officials concluded he died by suicide in August of 2019.

“They investigated me for month[s] — FOUND NOTHING!!!” according tothe note,which was allegedly written before Epstein was found unresponsive but alive in his cell in July of that year.

“It is a treat to be able to choose one’s time to say goodbye,” the note continues. “Watcha want me to do — Bust out cryin!!”

“NO FUN," the message concludes. “NOT WORTH IT!!”

Epstein later died by suicide that August.

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Epstein’s cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione, claims he discovered the message inside of a book in July after the first incident. Epstein claimed that Tartaglione, a former police officer convicted of leading a murder plot, tried to kill him, but the disgraced financier did not subsequently repeat the claim after he was removed to another cell.

Tartaglione laterdescribed the note toThe New York Timesandreporter Jessica Reed Kraus. The paper then petitioned for the document, sealed as part of the murder case, to be released publicly.

On Monday, the Justice Departmentbacked the request.

Tartaglione’s “public statements constitute a waiver of the need for continued sealing as to the matters he has publicly disclosed,” Jay Clayton, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, wrote in a filing.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated with new information.

If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988 or visit988lifeline.orgto access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go towww.befrienders.orgto find a helpline near you. In the UK, people having mental health crises can contact the Samaritans at116 123orjo@samaritans.org

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Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged suicide note released by federal judge

A federal court on Wednesday released asuicide note that Jeffrey Epstein allegedly wroteprior to his death in 2019 as he awaited trial ...

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NASA testing next-gen space telescope that could help astronomers detect city-killing asteroids

NASAsays it is testing itsnext-generation telescopethat could one day help astronomers spot a city- or even planet-destroyingasteroidlike in the 2021 movie“Don’t Look Up.”

The Near-Earth Object Surveyor, or NEO Surveyor, is the U.S. space agency’s first infrared space telescope specifically designed to look for these potential hazards, helping to reveal even the darkest threats in space and those hidden in the glare of our sun.

Astronomers have found fewer than half of the estimated existing city-killer asteroids and it would take another 30 years to find all of them without the $1.6 billion telescope, according toThe Planetary Society, a non-profit space science organization.

“Because our night skies are now crowded with thousands of bright satellites and asteroids are tiny and dark, ground-based telescopes have trouble finding near-Earth objects quickly. Placing a small telescope in space solves both these problems,” Casey Dreier, the society’s director, said in a 2023statement. “Within 10 years this telescope is predicted to find more [of them] than found in the last 50 years,” he added.

The telescope is set for launch no sooner than September 2027, traveling about a million miles from Earth to a fixed point between the Earth and space and operating for at least five years.

Much like NASA’s dust-clearingJames Webb Space Telescope, the NEO Surveyor will detect objects using their heat. But unlike galaxies, the heat these objects emit comes from the sun.

"Earth-approaching asteroids and comets are warmed by the sun, and they give off heat that the NEO Surveyor mission will be able to pick up," Amy Mainzer, a professor at the University of Arizona who is leading the mission, explained in a 2021release. "Even asteroids as dark as a chunk of coal won't be able to hide from our infrared eyes."

The Surveyor’s predecessor NEOWISE - Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer - alsofeatured infrared capabilitiesbut was not initially designed to find asteroids and comets before it was launched in 2009. The instrument detectedmore than 34,000 unknown asteroidsand over3,000 near-Earth objects; its mission concluded in 2024.

There are still many more near-Earth objects to discover - although astronomers have detected more than 40,000 near-Earth asteroids, per theEuropean Space Agency- and the Surveyor’s goal is to find 90 percent of those with a diameter of 460 feet within a decade of its launch.

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"We think there are about 25,000 NEOs large enough to wipe out an area like Southern California," Mainzer said. "Once they get bigger than about 450 feet in diameter, they can cause severe regional damage. We want to find these, and as many smaller ones as possible."

That’s why the NEO Surveyor has a 20-foot-long sun shade to allow the telescope to ensure the sun doesn’t block scientists’ view and a 12-foot enclosure to protect the tech. It also has two state-of-the-art science cameras with a lens that opens up nearly 20 inches.

“Project engineers plan to carry out focus tests in a chamber at [the Space Dynamics Laboratory in Logan, Utah,] that simulates the extreme environment of deep space to ensure the instrument works as designed and the camera remains in focus at very cold temperatures and in zero gravity,” NASA said in a Tuesdaystatement.

Data from the mission will be sent back to the California Institute of Technology’s NEO Surveyor Survey Data Center in Pasadena and will be reported to the international Minor Planet Center, which is responsible for collecting observations of asteroids and comets.

Then, the data can be used by planetary defense groups.

There are no known threats to Earth right now. But if a city killer is incoming, NASA has a way to deflect its trajectory, as shown in the success of the NASA Double Asteroid Redirection Test.

Still, NASA’s independent regulatoryOffice of the Inspector General saidthere are some crucial areas to address to ensure readiness, including making sure there is better structure and management for the Near-Earth Object Observations Program and tackling maintenance issues at ground-based observatories.

The 1,480-foot-long asteroid Apophis is projected to fly so close to Earth in 2029 that people can see it with the naked eye. But limited-funded plans exist to take advantage of the event, the office said.

NASA was considering terminatingone such planand that mission is not listed in theFiscal Year 2027 budget request,“indicating that it is once again slated for cancellation,” theAmerican Astronomical Society says.

Funding for the NEO Surveyor has been decreased in the budget, NASA said, “due to cost savings and improved risk posture.”

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NASA testing next-gen space telescope that could help astronomers detect city-killing asteroids

NASAsays it is testing itsnext-generation telescopethat could one day help astronomers spot a city- or even planet-destroyingasteroidli...

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Dolly Parton, Zayn, more nixing tour dates. See 2026 cancellations

Some of your favorite musical artists are sitting this tour cycle out.

From country legendDolly Partontothe Pussycat Dolls,several musical acts have either modified recent touring schedules or canceled all their stops completely in recent months.

The reasons behind the changes vary, with some artists citinghealth issuesand others hinting at a lack of audience interest.

"When we announced the PCD FOREVER Tour, we hoped to bring the show to fans across the world," the Pussycat Dolls said in aMay 4 Instagram post. "After taking an honest look at the North American run, we’ve made the difficult and heartbreaking decision to cancel all but one of the North America dates."

Other artists, includingMeghan TrainorandPost Malone, have also pulled the plug on their tours, offering similar but different statements about specific constraints. Malone, however, elected to "push the tour back" while Trainor canceled all Get In Girl Tour shows.

"I came to the realization that what we're trying to do, and what's possible, isn't really lining up," Malone wrote in a May 1 Instagram story. "We ain't ready for tour just yet..."

Here's a list of artists who have recently canceled their tours.

Dolly Parton

Amidst ongoing health issues, country legendDolly Partonmade the decision to cancel her previously postponed Las Vegas residency.

"It's going to take me a little while before I'm up to stage-performance level," the "Jolene" singer said in a May 4 update. "Well, you get on to Vegas. You have a big time, and hopefully, some time you'll come up to New York and maybe see my show."

"I've still got some healing to do, but I am on my way!" Parton added. "See you soon."

Zayn

Zayn Malik, like Parton, is stepping back from the spotlight and stage to focus on hishealth.

The former One Direction memberrevealed in a May 1 Instagram story that he was reducing the number of shows on his Konnakol Tour due to ongoing health concerns. The "I Don't Wanna Live Forever" singer canceled all of the dates on the upcoming leg of his U.S. tour.

"I’ve been at home recovering and I’m doing well and will be better and stronger than before. I want to make sure I still get out and see as many of you as I possibly can," he said in the post.

"I’m really looking forward to playing these shows for you, and I hope to see the rest of you around the world very soon. Big Love, Z," Malik added.

Tickets purchased through Ticketmaster were automatically refunded to customers; however, those who purchased tickets through a third-party reseller, such as StubHub or SeatGeek, were encouraged to contact their respective vendor for additional information.

The Pussycat Dolls

The upcomingPussycat Dollsreunion will go on, just not in America. The girl groupannounced May 4that they were canceling all but one of their North American shows.

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The"Buttons" singersare still performing at West Hollywood Pride's OUTLOUD Music Festival on June 6, as planned.

"We are putting everything into making this show a true celebration of the music and the memories, for the fans who have been with us from the beginning and those discovering us for the first time," the Pussycat Dolls said in an Instagram post. "We're working hard to create the kind of show we've always dreamed of bringing to you."

The tour, which was to kick off in June, features just three original members:Nicole Scherzinger, Kimberly Wyatt and Ashley Roberts. The group did not directly offer a reason for the move.

They said refunds for direct sales would be issued automatically, while anyone who purchased tickets through third-party sellers would need to contact their point of purchase.

Post Malone and Jelly Roll

Post Malonetweaked his tour schedule. In a May 1 Instagram story, the rap-turned-country star announced that he was "pushing the tour back," canceling five shows across the United States as a result of the schedule shift.

"I came to the realization that what we're trying to do, and what's possible, isn't really lining up," Malone wrote in a May 1 Instagram story. "We ain't ready for tour just yet, so I'm making the decision to push the tour back."

According toRolling Stone, the schedule shift comes as the nine-time diamond-certified star finishes his 40-song double album "The Eternal Buzz." The series of canceled shows was scheduled to take place between May 13 and May 29.

Even with the stadium dates pushed back, Post Malone is still scheduled to play festival shows in New Mexico (May 16), Florida (May 31) and South Carolina (June 7), all of whichremain posted on his website.Post Malone did not cite ticket sales as a reason for the schedule changes.

Malone'sBig Ass Stadium Tourwith fellow country artistJelly Rollkicked off April 10 and resumes in Charlotte, North Carolina, on June 9.

Meghan Trainor

Meghan Trainorwon't be taking the show on the road, revealing that she canceled her upcoming tour to be there forher family.

"After a lot of reflection and some really tough conversations, I've made the difficult decision to cancel theGet In Girl Tour," Trainor said in an April 16 Instagram story. The announcement came one week before the release of Trainor's seventh album, "Toy With Me."

"Balancing the release of a new album, preparing for a nationwide tour, and welcoming our new baby girl to our growing family of five has just been more than I can take on right now, and I need to be home and present for each and all of them at this time," she said.

Trainor apologized to her fans, "I am so sorry to let you down."

"But I know this is the right decision for my family and me right now," she added. "I promise I’ll be back soon, and I can’t wait for you to hear this new record. I’m so proud of it, and I’m endlessly grateful for your love and support always."

The "All About That Bass" songstress and her husband,Daryl Sabara, welcomed theirthird child together, a daughter, via surrogacy on Jan. 18. They also share two sons – Riley, 4, and Barry, 2.

Contributing: Edward Segarra, KiMi Robinson, Greta Cross & Taijuan Moorman/ USA TODAY; Cooper Worth/ Des Moines Register

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Dolly Parton, Zayn, more nixing 2026 tour dates. See cancellations

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Dolly Parton, Zayn, more nixing tour dates. See 2026 cancellations

Some of your favorite musical artists are sitting this tour cycle out. From country legendDolly Partontothe Pussycat Dolls,several...

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The 5 best lakes for fishing near metro Phoenix and what you can catch

Arizona's lakesoffer anglers a variety of fishing opportunities, and you don't even have to drive too far from metro Phoenix to find the perfect lake for you.

From trophy bass and stocked trout to sunfish and catfish, each lake has its own unique features and fish populations, ensuring that everyone is sure to find a lake that fits their angling style.

As an added bonus, these lakes are located just a short drive from metro Phoenix.

Here’s a look at some of the top fishing lakes near Phoenix and what you can expect to catch when you cast your line.

Bartlett Lake

Located in the Tonto National Forest, Bartlett Lake spans 2,815 acres and is known for its consistent largemouth bass fishing. The lake also hosts channel and flathead catfish, black crappie, sunfish, and common carp.

Trophy flathead catfish are often caught using live sunfish or small carp, while largemouth bass can be targeted with rubber worms using a technique called "drop shotting" or with shad imitation crankbaits. Black crappie respond well to minnows or jigs.

Night fishing is popular at Bartlett, with baitfish-attracting lights increasing the chances of a good catch.

A Tonto Forest Recreational Pass is required for access.

Canyon Lake

Canyon Lake is managed as a trophy largemouth bass fishery and is stocked with rainbow trout during the winter months. The lake also contains smallmouth and yellow bass, catfish, crappie, sunfish, walleye, buffalo, carp, and tilapia.

Thelargest largemouth bass ever caught in Arizona, weighing 16 pounds, 7.68 ounces, came from Canyon Lake.

Drop-shotting rubber worms and using shad imitation crankbaits are effective techniques, especially in the early morning and evening. Large rainbow trout swimbaits can be used to target trophy bass when trout are stocked.

A Tonto Forest Recreational Pass is required, and boating capacity may be limited during peak times.

Lake Pleasant

Located northwest of Phoenix, Lake Pleasant is a popular spot for largemouth bass, flathead catfish, and striped bass. The lake also has white bass, crappie, sunfish, carp, and tilapia.

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Flathead catfish are best caught with live sunfish or small carp, while striped bass can be targeted with shad imitation swimbaits or crankbaits. Spoons like castmasters are effective for both striped and white bass.

Using night crawlers under a bobber or on the bottom can help catch a variety of species. Largemouth bass respond well to drop-shotting rubber worms and shad imitation crankbaits.

Park entrance fees and campground reservations can be found on the Lake Pleasant Regional Park website.

Roosevelt Lake

Roosevelt Lake is a reservoir of more than 20,000 acres known for its excellent largemouth bass and crappie fishing. The lake has been stocked with Florida-strain largemouth bass, which can grow up to 20 pounds.

The lake also contains smallmouth and yellow bass, catfish, black crappie, sunfish, buffalo, and carp.

Drop-shotting rubber worms and using shad imitation crankbaits are effective for largemouth bass, while crawfish imitation lures work well for smallmouth bass. Yellow bass can be caught with minnows, castmasters, or small spoons.

A Tonto Forest Recreational Pass is required for access.

Saguaro Lake

Saguaro Lake is a warmwater fishery with over 2,200 fish habitat structures. The lake is stocked with rainbow trout twice a month in the winter and is known for its largemouth bass fishing.

Other species include smallmouth and yellow bass, catfish, crappie, sunfish, walleye, buffalo, carp, and tilapia.

Drop-shotting rubber worms and using shad imitation crankbaits are effective, especially during trout stocking months when large swimbaits can be used to target trophy bass. Night crawlers are effective for catfish and sunfish.

A Tonto Forest Recreational Pass is required, and boating capacity may be limited during peak times.

This story was created by editor Shelby Slade, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more:https://cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct/.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic:Top 5 lakes for fishing near metro Phoenix

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The 5 best lakes for fishing near metro Phoenix and what you can catch

Arizona's lakesoffer anglers a variety of fishing opportunities, and you don't even have to drive too far from metro Phoenix to...

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