Some Neighbors and even out-of-towners got to Susan Floress house at 9 am on Saturday. While some were ready to settle in, Valerie Glahn wanted to walk by just to get a peek at what was going on.
Everybody seems to want to have a conclusion to this tragedy,” Glahn said.
Some of the people who claimed a spot outside of the home first showed up on Wednesday, the day investigators executed the search warrant. They did not want to go on camera, but did tell me they came back to show their support for the investigation and the Smart family.
I just really feel for the family,” Glahn said. “And I know that if they could get some answers, that would help them with closure.
Patrick Walsh stopped by the Arroyo Grande home on his lunch break. He’s been following the case since 2022 and has driven by multiple times during the investigation. He said hes proud to see the community come together in such a difficult time.
I mean, its a small community,” Walsh said. “The community showing support for the family is a big deal.
The onlookers arent just from Arroyo Grande. I spoke with people who made the drive from San Luis Obispo and Santa Maria to see the house.
Francine Aragon came from Santa Maria.
We’ve been invested in the case for a long time already,” Aragon said. “We’ll stay here for a little bit. I want to see what’s going on.”
Francine Aragon feels for the Smart family, especially with a daughter herself.
When something like this happens, everybody just comes together because it’s just, like one of your own,” Aragon said.
Walsh said the community members who’ve gathered outside the home need to give investigators room to do their jobs.
A lot of it is we need to just let them work and not get in their way and not interfere,” Walsh said. “But also, we have a right to know what’s going on.”
The investigation concluded Saturday afternoon.