A 1998 San Francisco Examiner story goes into detail about the investigation's focus on Flores. Police records indicated he had a black eye the day after Smart's disappearance, something he alternately chalked up to a basketball game and an accident while fixing his car. Some months later, San Luis Obispo County sheriff's deputies employed scent dogs trained to alert at the smell of human remains; police said four dogs independently led them to Flores' dorm room, but no evidence was found.