The tragic story of Valerie Tindall: Body found on neighbor's yard after 6-month search for missing teen
ARLINGTON, INDIANA: Valerie Tindall, 17, was last seen on June 7 and has been missing for six months.
On November 28, a barrel containing human remains was discovered buried underneath a pile of rubble in the yard of her neighbor, Patrick Scott, reported The Sun.
The Rush County Sheriff’s Department has not yet specified whether the remains belong to Tindall, and are waiting for the coroner's report for confirmation.
Scott, 59, who had been previously identified as a person of interest, was arrested and charged with murder following the discovery of the body. He is being held at the Rush County Jail, Rushville County Sheriff Allan Rice said in a press conference on November 29.
According to USA Today, Tindall was last seen with Scott, who also employed her for his lawn care business.
Patrick Scott's property was searched multiple times
Law enforcement officials had investigated the property of the accused with more than 50 search warrants in the last six months.
The Rush County Sheriff’s Department reportedly stated that the human remains in question were discovered on the property less than a hundred yards from the Tindall family home's backdoor.
Valerie Tindall's mom says Scotts were family friends
Speaking with Fox59, the victim's mother Shena Sandefur said that someone overheard Scott telling Tindall that he would take her to Indianapolis for lunch on the day of her disappearance.
“We moved away from Indy to get away from violence. And we moved across the street from her predator,” the distraught mother told the outlet.
Sandefur revealed that Scott acted like a "jealous boyfriend" around Tindall. He even allegedly went so far as to track her phone.
The victim was also friends with Scott's granddaughter.
Patrick Scott misinformed police about the victim
Back in late June, Scott was charged with giving false information to investigators. He was reportedly caught lying and could not keep his story straight about his last encounter with Tindall.
The murder accused finally claimed to have dropped Tindall off in Homer, a town roughly five miles south of Arlington. She then got into a car with an unknown male, he claimed.
