Crystal Teschendorf: Kristin Smart's ex-roommate claims cops took her lightly when she reported teen missing
SALINAS, CALIFORNIA: Crystal Calvin Teschendorf, former dorm roommate of Kristin Smart, took the stand in the murder trial of the 19-year-old and alleged that her initial concerns regarding her fellow CalPoly student were taken lightly by the police. Teschendorf reportedly gave her testimony on Monday, August 1, 2022, and said that she called cops twice after Smart did not return to her dorm two days after going for a party on May 24, 1996.
As per reports, Teschendorf told the court that she first contacted the law enforcement officials on May 26, 1996, which was a Sunday, and then again on the following Tuesday. “We had talked about possible scenarios of why she would not have come back to the dorms. We kind of thought it was unusual,” she said.
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The ex-roommate claimed that police took her complaint seriously only after she approached them the second time and then a missing report was filed. She also said that before she parted ways with Smart, she was in a “good mood”. But Teschendorf pointed out that things began to feel unusual when she first found “Smart's keys and personal belongings that she normally took everywhere were still in the room,” The Daily Mail reported.
She also added that though she and the victim were not very close to each other, the young woman had a habit of telling her if she planned to not return to the dorm for the night. In 2002, Smart was pronounced dead. Though her body is yet to be discovered, the 45-year-old Paul Flores and his father Ruben, 81, have been accused of being responsible for it. Both the accused are now facing trial. According to prosecutors, Paul took Smart's life while trying to rape her in his dorm room at CalPoly on May 25, 1996, and his father helped hide the dead body.
Meanwhile, a website launched in memory of Smart also accused campus police of not probing the case properly. It states, “She was abducted by another student (suspect Paul Rueben Flores) on the Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo campus around 2 am. Campus Police failed to act appropriately and did not contact local law enforcement agencies in a timely manner.”
The site goes on to mention the agony and suffering of Smart’s family. It states, “There are not enough words in the dictionary to describe the pain of our loss and the heartache we face every day that we live without answers and without Kristin. Kristin deserved so much more than she received from initial law enforcement agencies. Fortunately, we now have active, engaged and committed law enforcement agencies working for Kristin. It is a demanding, frustrating and tireless task trying to reconstruct evidence from 24 years ago while investigating ongoing new leads."
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"We live for the day when we can lay her to rest in the presence of our family and all who loved and fought for her. Our hope is that her life, even though silenced, will continue to have meaning and purpose by helping other young women realize their ambitions,” the website further reads.