This summer, the Rush County Sheriff’s Office in Indiana issued a missing person alert for 17-year-old Valerie Tindall. Now, the mystery of her disappearance has been uncovered, according to authorities.
A man named Patrick Scott was arrested for her murder this week, said a press release from the sheriff’s department. Tindall’s body was discovered Tuesday buried on Scott’s property in Arlington, Ind.
Scott – who is 59 years old, according to Fox 59 – faces obstruction of justice and false informing charges, per court documents obtained by Fox News Digital and confirmed Thursday by the Rush County Sheriff’s Office These are due to false accounts he gave to police during their investigation, said the outlet.
Those court documents also revealed that Scot admitted to strangling Tindall with a belt in his bedroom on June 7. He then buried her in a box he made with wood purchased at Home Depot. Scott continued to wear the belt, said the Fox News Digital report.
It also said that Scott hired Tindall to work for him mowing lawns. Family explained that she knew him well, was friends with his granddaughter and would hang out with him outside of work.
Shena Sandefur, Tindall’s mother, said that Scott sometimes acted like a “jealous boyfriend” with her daughter, according to Fox. Per the court documents, he claimed she was trying to seduce him and blackmail him into buying her a car. He said the murder “just kind of happened.”
Before her remains were discovered at Scott’s property, she was last seen at around 12:45 p.m. June 7 driving a green 2000 Honda Accord. In August, authorities again asked for help to locate her and released photos of the teen.
Fox said that some of the 40 law enforcement agents who arrived at Scott’s house Thursday spotted the orange nail polish Tindall was seen wearing in her last social media post on her remains. Scott was taken into custody without incident.
“This is not the outcome we hoped for,” said Rush County Sheriff Allan Rice. “This case is still under investigation to ensure those responsible are successfully prosecuted.”
County Coroner Brenda McMahan positively identified Tindall’s remains, the sheriff’s office said Thursday. Tindall’s cause and manner of death was still yet to be determined pending results of a toxicology report and final autopsy.
Authorities have asked members of the public to come forward with any information that may be relevant to the case. They can contact the sheriff’s department at 765-932-2931.