Remains of missing 17-year-old girl found buried in neighbor’s yard after six months
The decomposing remains of 17-year-old Valerie Tindall, missing in Indiana for nearly six months, have been found buried in the yard of her next-door neighbor and family friend, leading to his arrest on murder charges.
Tindall’s body was unearthed by the police Tuesday inside a makeshift chest buried beneath a pile of debris on the property of 59-year-old Patrick Scott in Arlington — less than a hundred yards from the teen’s home.
Scott, who was not only Tindall’s neighbor but also her employer, allegedly admitted to detectives that he killed the teen by strangling her with his belt, which he then continued wearing, according to court documents cited by the station Fox 59.
“I put it around her neck and I held onto it until she quit,” Scott allegedly told the police.
He then allegedly built a box out of wooden planks he bought at Home Depot, placed Tindall’s body wrapped in plastic inside, screwed it shut and buried it in his yard.
The murder suspect, who has a wife, daughter and granddaughter, claimed that he had not planned to kill Tindall, and that it “just kind of happened” after the teen allegedly tried to seduce and blackmail him into buying her a car, the court filings stated.
When asked if he was bothered by the fact that he killed the girl, Scott was quoted as telling investigators: “Well, I wasn’t too crazy about it.”
On Thursday, the county coroner positively identified the remains recovered Tuesday on Scott’s property as Tindall’s.
“This is not the outcome we had all hoped for, but I want to stress to the public that this case is far from over,” Sheriff Allan Rice said in a press conference. “Justice will be sought.”
Scott was charged with murder and obstruction of justice. He made his initial appearance in Rush County Circuit Court on Thursday and was denied bond.
Tindall told her parents on June 7 that she was going to work. She worked for Scott’s lawn mowing business, and he was the last person to see her alive, according to court documents.
Tindall was reported missing after failing to return home that day.
On Oct. 11, cadaver-sniffing dogs indicated the smell of decomposition in a pond near Scott’s property, but a search failed to turn up anything.
One of the dog handlers told police that water is known to hold odor and that the smell could have come from runoff into the pond — a tip that ultimately led to the grisly discovery Tuesday.
Armed with shovels, police dug up from Scott’s yard the rectangular box wrapped in a tarp and secured with duct tape. Inside were human remains, which included fingernails painted with orange polish, documents said.
Police said a photo posted to social media on June 7 showed Tindall with orange nails.
Tindall’s mom, Shena Sandefur, told WRTV-TV that her daughter and the rest of their family trusted Scott.
“She and him had a bond. They were friends,” Sandefur said. “She worked for him, but she also hung out with his family. His granddaughter was her friend, and we went places with them.”
