Ind. Man Pleads Guilty to Murdering 17-Year-Old Whose Remains Were Found Buried on His Property

Patrick Scott was sentenced to 57 years in prison for murdering Valerie Tindall

An Indiana man who pleaded guilty to murdering a 17-year-old girl in June 2023 was sentenced to 57 years in prison.

Patrick Scott, 59, admitted to killing Valerie Tindall, his neighbor, in Arlington, Ind. on June 7. On Monday, Scott pleaded guilty to murder and had charges of giving false information and obstruction of justice dismissed, court records indicate.

Though the Rush County Sheriff’s Department said Scott was long suspected of killing Tindall, he was not arrested until late November, when a box containing her remains was found buried on his property.

Related: Police Believe They've Found Body of Missing Ind. Teen Valerie Tindall Found Buried on Neighbor’s Property

During the course of the investigation, police executed over 50 search warrants before Tindall’s remains were eventually found.

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Tindall’s mother told local outlet WRTV that her daughter had worked for Scott and believed that they had been friends.

"She worked for him, but she also hung out with his family, like his granddaughter was her friend and we went places with them," Tindall’s mother, Shena Sandefur, told the outlet.

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