A note from the smart family the statute of limitations in this case has expired on everything except murder.
Anyone who comes forward with information will not be charged with any crime.
After the ground penetrating radar search of Susan Flores backyard in 2007 and up through 2010, investigators received no significant information that leads to the location of Kristen Smart's body.
Dennis Mann continues his campaign of keeping the Flores family on their toes, though, marching with banners and signs around the central coast and posting regular updates to his website, sonofsusan.com.
as Sheriff Ed Williams very publicly admitted in 1997, there's not much progress that can be made on the case without Flores's cooperation.
And in 1998, Williams retires without making any significant break in the case.
His successor, Patrick Hedges, is equally unsuccessful in locating Kristen Smart, charging anyone with her kidnapping or murder or communicating with the Smart family in Stockton.
In fact, Hedges entire career as the sheriff of San Luis Obispo is bogged down by scandals and by the end, total public distrust.
In 2007, one of his chief deputies discovers that sheriff Hedges and his under Sheriff Steve Bolts, who was once the lead detective on the kristen smart case, have bugged his office and been secretly videotaping him, believing him to be disloyal and possibly engaging in criminal behavior, a suspicion that ends up being baseless.
When news about the illegal wiretapping becomes public, the sheriff docks himself $700, or the equivalent of a single day's pay, as a way to punish himself for spying on his own employee.
The deputy isn't satisfied with that response and sues the sheriff for just over a million dollars for violating his privacy.
He gets just half of that, but it's enough for hedges constituents to lose faith in him entirely.
In addition to the bugging incident, several lawsuits are filed against the sheriff's department during hedges time in office, when suspects in custody die while being restrained, and in at least one case, hog tied.
Even in his personal life, Hedges fails to maintain a respectable image.
In January of 2009, his wife calls the San Luis Obispo sheriff's department on the San Luis Obispo sheriff, claiming that he's screaming at her and refusing to let her leave their house.
Sheriffs deputies show up, but decide its not necessary to take a report on the incident.
Two months later, the couple separates and Pat Hedges announces that he will not seek reelection.
In an emailed press release, he claims that his biggest disappointment is not being able to bring a prosecutable case forward on the Kristen smart disappearance.
In 2010, all of the new candidates for his job make sure to distance themselves from him to avoid being pulled into his undertow.
Years later, Hedges will briefly make headlines again when he crashes his truck into a power pole and fire hydrant in the middle of the night.