Darlene Flynn, owner of the world's biggest shoe collection found dead, boyfriend arrested on murder charges Darlene Flynn appeared on an episode of US cable TV show My Collection Obsession. Photo: TLC screengrab A US woman who holds the world record for owning the most pairs of shoes has been found dead in her pool in suspicious circumstances. Darlene Flynn, 58, who had a record 16,400 pair collection of shoes according to the Guinness Book of World Records, was found in her backyard pool in Menifee in southern California on Monday afternoon. Initial police reports indicate Ms Flynn was killed as the result of blunt force trauma. Her ex-boyfriend, Justin Charles Smith, 29, has been arrested on charges of murder, according to reports in the US media, with officers apprehending him after he was spotted fleeing the property. Darlene Flynn dances by the pool with then-boyfriend Justin Smith. Ms Flynn had previously appeared with Mr Smith on a US cable television program about collectors. On the show, Mr Smith discussed sharing his life with an 'ultra-collector. He was even filmed preparing her a shoe-shaped breakfast in bed. "I am very crazy-obsessed with shoes," Ms Flynn said. I'll be surrounded by shoes when I die. Justin Smith filmed bringing his then-girlfriend breakfast in bed, and inset, his police mug shot. US media outlets reported Mr Smith was convicted of theft in 2012 after selling one of Ms Flynn's cars without her permission. A near-obsessive shoe collector, Ms Flynn sold decorative shoes and nearly every part of her home, including a purpose built garage, was covered in shoes or shoe-related paraphernalia. Ms Flynn was also known among the collecting community as ""the shoe lady"" or ""the queen of sole"." She started her collection following a divorce in 2001. According to the Guinness Book of Records, Ms Flynn first set the record for the largest shoe-related collection in 2006 with 7,765 items in her possession. The updated 2013 entry showed she had broken her own record and more than doubled the amount with her collection estimated to be worth $500,000. Among the more famous items are a replica of the Disney Cinderella glass slipper, Dorothy's red shoes from the Wizard of Oz, an array of Betty Boop shoes and a vast collection of miniatures. She even named her dogs Shoesy and Bootsy in keeping with the theme. Ms Flynn tweeted about her extensive collection under the Twitter handle, @DarsShoeHeaven, and her goal was to ""dance with Ellen Degeneres in my light-up shoes!"." with AP