Valerie Tindall, a 17-year-old from Arlington, Indiana, was reported missing in June 2023. What followed was a months-long investigation that would expose a disturbing truth hiding in plain sight.
A Family Seeking Safety in a Small Town
The Tindall family originally lived in Indianapolis, Indiana, but made the decision to relocate to Arlington, a small rural community located less than an hour outside the city. The move was motivated by a desire for a safer environment. Shena Sandefur, Valerie’s mother, believed that raising her children in a smaller, quieter community would offer better protection and stability for the family.
Arlington is a tight-knit area. Neighbors tend to know one another, and the community functions much like a large extended family. For the Tindalls, the move represented a fresh start, and for a while, life in Arlington appeared to offer exactly what they had hoped for.
Among their neighbors was 59-year-old Patrick Scott, who lived with his family on a large property directly across the street. The Scott and Tindall families became acquainted through their proximity and eventually developed what appeared to be a genuine friendship. The two families spent time together socially, and Valerie became close with Patrick’s granddaughter. Patrick also owned a lawn care business, and Valerie, who had a strong work ethic despite her young age, began working for him.
There was nothing about the arrangement that initially raised concern. Patrick was a known neighbor, a family friend, and an employer. Valerie working for him seemed like a natural extension of the relationship between the two families. However, investigators would later note that, based on evidence, Scott and Valerie’s relationship was closer than it appeared on the surface. Scott allegedly provided Valerie with money, food, gas, and also took her on trips.
The Day Valerie Disappeared
June 7, 2023, was a Wednesday. School was out for the summer, and Valerie had asked her mother for permission to work that day, even though it was not her usual scheduled day. She indicated she would be working for Patrick’s lawn care business. Shena agreed, and Valerie left the house.
When Valerie did not return home that evening, Shena contacted Patrick directly to ask whether he knew where her daughter was. Patrick told her that not only had Valerie not worked that day, but that they had made no plans for her to do so. He stated that the last time he had seen her was the previous day, June 6.
Shena initially considered the possibility that Valerie had made other plans and had not been truthful about her whereabouts. It was not uncommon for teenagers to do so, and Shena held onto the hope that her daughter would return home that night or by the following morning.
That same evening, Patrick and his wife Linda came over to the Tindall home. During the visit, Patrick began suggesting that Valerie may have run away. The comment struck Shena as odd. There had been no indication that Valerie was planning to leave, and the suggestion felt premature given how recently she had gone missing. Valerie’s father, Jack Tindall, later reflected on the visit, recalling that “You could tell they were kind of trying to steer us in their direction.” Shena echoed the sentiment, saying “They wanted us to believe that she ran away.”
Valerie Tindall was officially reported missing the following morning, June 8, 2023. Two days later, the Indiana State Police issued a Silver Alert stating that she had last been seen around noon on June 7 and was believed to be in extreme danger. She was described as five feet six inches tall, weighing approximately 160 pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes. She was last seen associated with a green 2000 Honda Accord bearing Indiana license plate ZYK833.
Contradictions and a Changing Story
Law enforcement began questioning Patrick Scott early in the investigation given that Valerie had told her mother she would be with him the day she vanished. During initial questioning, Patrick maintained that he had not seen Valerie on June 7 and that his last contact with her had been the day before.
That account quickly fell apart. A witness reported seeing Patrick and Valerie together on June 7. Another witness stated they had seen Patrick driving Valerie’s car. When confronted with this information, Patrick revised his account.
In an updated version of events, Patrick stated that he and Valerie had met at the South High Apartments in Shelbyville on the morning of June 7. He claimed they drove together in his work truck and that he eventually dropped her off in Homer, a town roughly ten minutes from Arlington. He described seeing her get into a pale blue car driven by an unknown male, after which the two drove in the direction of Rushville.
Investigators were skeptical. Cell phone location data placed Valerie’s last known position in the Arlington area, not in Homer. If she had left with someone heading toward Rushville, her phone’s location would not have reflected Arlington. Patrick’s account did not hold up against the data.
He later changed his story again. In a subsequent interview, he stated that after meeting at the condominiums, Valerie returned with him to his home in Arlington. He claimed he then left for work and returned to find her gone. This version aligned more closely with Valerie’s phone data, which confirmed her presence in the Arlington area.
Investigators also recovered Patrick’s cell phone records with his cooperation. Among the messages found was the last text Valerie ever sent. At 11:23 a.m. on June 7, she messaged Patrick with the words, “I’ll be there soon.” Patrick sent two messages to Valerie following that, one at 5:40 p.m. on June 7 and another at 2:46 p.m. on June 8, both asking where she was. Neither received a reply.
Additionally, Shena disclosed that Patrick had access to Valerie’s real-time location through the Life360 application. He had been regularly monitoring her location using the app, which made his later text messages asking where she was appear inconsistent with someone who genuinely did not know her whereabouts.
By the end of June, investigators had gathered enough evidence to charge Patrick Scott with a misdemeanor count of false informing, based on the multiple conflicting statements he had provided during questioning. However, Valerie had still not been found.
The Search Intensifies
Weeks passed without any confirmed discovery of Valerie’s whereabouts. During the course of the investigation, police executed over 50 search warrants before Valerie’s remains were eventually found. Investigators continued working the case throughout the summer and into the fall. On October 11, 2023, law enforcement conducted a formal search of Patrick Scott’s property, bringing cadaver dogs trained to detect human remains.
Four dogs independently alerted to the scent of human remains near the property’s pond. However, a thorough search of the pond revealed nothing. Handlers explained that water is effective at capturing and dispersing odor, meaning the scent could have originated from elsewhere on the property and traveled to the pond’s location.
To better understand the landscape and identify any areas where the ground had been disturbed, investigators commissioned a topography study the following day. Helicopters assisted with an aerial examination of the property. The survey identified multiple areas of notable ground disturbance, but no immediate discovery was made. The investigation continued quietly for several more weeks.
On November 28, 2023, a coordinated effort involving local and federal law enforcement returned to Patrick Scott’s property. Nearly 40 federal agents and local law enforcement descended upon his property and ended up discovering two homemade wood boxes buried underneath a pile of debris.
The first box contained paperwork and VHS tapes. The second gave off an odor that indicated something far more significant had been concealed inside. Wrapped in black plastic within the second box were human remains. The Rush County Coroner officially identified them as those of Valerie Tindall. She was confirmed by the orange nail polish she had been wearing, which matched what she was seen wearing in a social media post from June 7.
Following the discovery of the body, Scott was arrested without incident on a preliminary charge of murder and booked into the Rush County Jail.
A Confession and a Murder Charge
During questioning following his arrest, Patrick Scott made a full confession. He admitted to meeting Valerie at the condominiums in Shelbyville on the morning of June 7, where a witness had overheard him telling her about plans for a special lunch in Indianapolis. The lunch never took place.
Records placed both of them back at his Arlington property by approximately 12:59 p.m. All activity on Valerie’s phone ceased shortly before that time. Phone data also showed that Patrick began deleting applications from his own device shortly after they arrived home. His Apple Health application, which he did not delete, recorded significant physical activity at approximately 1:35 p.m. that same afternoon.
Patrick told investigators that an argument developed between him and Valerie. He claimed she had threatened to falsely accuse him of having seduced her unless he purchased her a new car. He stated that he was not going to allow that to happen. He described a physical confrontation unfolding and told investigators that he used the belt he was wearing at the time to strangle her. He added that he continued wearing the belt after the incident. Investigators claim he told them he “wasn’t too crazy” about having killed her.
He told investigators he kept her body in his home office for an entire day while his family went about their routines, stating they were unaware of what had occurred. On June 8, the day Valerie was officially reported missing, Patrick went to a home improvement store and purchased lumber, which he used to construct a wooden box. He placed her body inside and buried it in a hole on his property that he said had already been excavated for another purpose.
He also admitted to moving Valerie’s car to a different apartment complex and disposing of her license plate and keys by throwing them into a river. He stated he could not recall which river. Those items have not been recovered.
Patrick Scott was charged with murder. Scott was also charged with obstruction of justice and false informing.
Plea Deal and Sentencing
Rather than go to the jury trial that had originally been scheduled for April 2024, Scott entered into a plea agreement filed in Rush County Court on January 25. Under the agreement, he pleaded guilty to one count of murder and agreed to a 57-year prison sentence. The charges of obstruction of justice and false informing were dismissed, and Scott was also ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution to Valerie’s family.
On March 11, 2024, the court accepted Scott’s plea and formally sentenced him to 57 years in prison. Rush County Circuit Court Judge David E. Northam ordered him to serve the sentence in a state correctional facility. At 59 years old, Scott was facing the prospect of spending the rest of his life behind bars. Valerie’s family had spent nearly six months searching for her, unaware that her body had been buried less than 100 yards from their front door.
Valerie Tindall: A Life Cut Short
Valerie Tindall was born on August 29, 2005, in Indianapolis, Indiana. She was the daughter of Jack Tindall and Shena Sandefur and grew up alongside one brother and three sisters. Those who knew her described her as kind, funny, and deeply caring. She loved animals, enjoyed spending time with friends, and had a passion for video games and singing.
In the months before her death, Valerie had made remarkable academic progress. After previously struggling in school, she had turned her performance around and was earning A’s and B’s during her junior year at Rushville Consolidated High School. She had begun applying to colleges and had already received acceptance letters. Her goal was to become a veterinarian, and she had been actively collecting information and materials related to animal studies.
At just 17 years old, Valerie was already working multiple jobs and demonstrating the kind of determination that pointed toward a promising future. Her family has spoken of the pride they felt watching her grow and the devastation of knowing that future was taken from her.
Her celebration of life was held on December 9, 2023, at the Arlington Christian Church. In the wake of the sentencing, Valerie’s parents have been vocal about their feelings toward Scott. Her father, Jack Tindall, called him “a freaking monster,” while Shena told reporters, “You’re heartless, soulless, you’re a demon and God will make you pay.”
Patrick Scott is now serving his 57-year sentence. For the Tindall family, no sentence can undo the loss of their daughter, but the resolution of this case brought a measure of accountability for the man who buried a 17-year-old girl a stone’s throw from her own front door.
