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On November 28, 2023, the body of 17-year-old Valerie Tindall, who had been missing for over five months, was found stuffed inside a barrel buried in the yard of her neighbor in Arlington.
Following the discovery, the neighbor, 59-year-old Patrick Scott, was apprehended as a person of interest in the case. He has been charged with murder, a felony count of obstruction of justice, and a misdemeanor count of falsely informing a law enforcement officer.
On November 30, 2023, Patrick Scott appeared in Rush County Circuit Court for an initial hearing. He was ordered to remain in jail without bond.
Valerie Tindall was allegedly strangled to death by the neighbor
Valerie Tindall was last seen alive on June 7, 2023. WTHR reported that on June 10, 2023, a statewide Silver Alert was issued for her in Arlington, which is located around 30 miles southeast of Indianapolis.
According to the report by WTHR, authorities issued over 50 search warrants in an effort to find the 17-year-old.
ABC 7 Chicago reported that Valerie worked for Patrick Scott, who owned a lawn mowing business, and court documents revealed that on June 7, 2023, Valerie met Patrick, who drove her back to his residence early that afternoon. Following that, Valerie was reported missing.
WTHR reported that following his arrest, Patrick Scott allegedly told authorities that back at his residence, Valerie tried to seduce him in an attempt to blackmail him into buying her a car.
WTTV reported that Patrick allegedly admitted to strangling Valerie Tindall with a belt, which he continued to wear after. He allegedly told authorities,
"I put it around her neck and I held onto it until she quit."
The report by WTHR stated that when authorities asked Patrick Scott if he had intended to kill Valerie, Patrick allegedly responded,
"No, that just kind of happened."
According to the report by WTHR, Patrick Scott also allegedly confessed to abandoning Valerie Tindall's car, and dumping the license plate and keys into an unknown river.
Valerie Tindall's family trusted Patrick Scott
Valerie Tindall's mother, Shena Sandefur, told WRTV that the family trusted Patrick Scott. Shena said,
"She and him had a bond. They were friends. She worked for him, but she also hung out with his family. His granddaughter was her friend, and we went places with them."
WRTV reported that following her daughter's disappearance, Shena Sandefur spoke to Patrick and his wife tried to comfort them. Shena said,
"They kept coming over and asking if I was okay and telling us, 'Oh I'm sure she's fine. She'll be back home."
ABC News reported that at a news conference on November 29, 2023, Rush County Sheriff Allan Rice said,
"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. Justice will be sought."
WISH-TV reported that Patrick Scott is being represented in court by attorney Bryan Edward Barrett of Rushville, with a pretrial conference scheduled for December 19, 2023, and a jury trial tentatively slated for April 23, 2024.
