The decomposed body of 17-year-old Valerie Tindall, missing in Indiana for nearly six months, has been found buried in the yard of her neighbors and family friends, leading to her arrest on murder charges.
Tindall’s body was found by police on Tuesday in a makeshift casket buried under a pile of debris on 59-year-old Patrick Scott’s property in Arlington – less than a hundred yards from the teenager’s home.
Scott, who was not only Tindall’s neighbor but also his employer, allegedly admitted to detectives that he killed the teenager by strangling him with his belt, which he then continued to wear, according to court documents cited by the Fox 59 station.
“I put it around his neck and I held him until he stopped,” Scott told police.
He then allegedly built a box out of wooden boards he bought at Home Depot, placed Tindall’s plastic-wrapped body inside, sealed it with screws and buried it in his yard.
The body of 17-year-old Valerie Tindall was found Tuesday in her neighbor’s yard, more than five months after she was reported missing. Facebook
The murder suspect, who has a wife, daughter and granddaughter, claimed that he did not intend to kill Tindall, and that it “just kind of happened” after the teenager allegedly tried to seduce and blackmail him into buying him a car, court filings said.
When asked if he was bothered by the fact that he killed the girl, Scott was quoted as telling investigators: “Well, I’m not too crazy about it.”
On Thursday, the county coroner positively identified the body found Tuesday on Scott’s property as that of Tindall.
“This is not the outcome we 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.”
Patrick Scott, 59, Tindall’s neighbor and employer, has been charged with her murder. Rush County Jail
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 his parents on June 7 that he was going to work. He worked for Scott’s lawn mowing business, and she was the last person to see him alive, according to court documents.
Tindall was reported missing after failing to return home that day.
On Oct. 11, sniffer dogs detected the smell of decomposition in a pond near Scott’s property, but a search failed to find anything.
One of the dog handlers told police that water is known to harbor odors and that the smell may have come from runoff into the pond — a tip that eventually led to Tuesday’s gruesome discovery.
Tindall’s decomposed body was found by police in a box planted on Scott’s property in Arlington, Indiana. FOX59
Armed with shovels, police dug out of Scott’s yard a rectangular box wrapped in a tarp and tied with duct tape. Inside were human remains, including fingernails painted with orange polish, the documents said.
Police said a photo posted to social media on June 7 showed Tindall with orange fingernails.
Tindall’s mother, Shena Sandefur, told WRTV-TV that her daughter and their entire family trusted Scott.
“She and he have a bond. They are friends,” Sandefur said. “She works for him, but she also hangs out with her family. Her granddaughter is her friend, and we go places with them.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
