Current:Home > FinanceIndiana coroner identifies remains of teen girl found buried on land of man charged in her death -TrueNorth Capital Hub
Indiana coroner identifies remains of teen girl found buried on land of man charged in her death
View
Date:2025-04-17 19:44:57
ARLINGTON, Ind. (AP) — An Indiana coroner has identified the remains of a 17-year-old girl who vanished in June and whose body was found this week in a box buried on land owned by a man now charged in her slaying.
The remains discovered Tuesday on suspect Patrick Scott’s property were positively identified as those of Valerie Tindall. Rush County Coroner Brenda McMahan said the cause and manner of Tindall’s death are pending toxicology reports and a final autopsy report.
In a statement Thursday announcing the coroner’s findings and charges against Scott, the Rush County Sheriff’s Office said that it offered its “deepest condolences to the family and friends of Valerie Tindall during this time of mourning.”
Scott, 59, was charged Thursday with murder, obstruction of justice and false informing. A judge ordered him held without bond and appointed a public defender to represent Scott during his initial hearing.
The Rush County Public Defender’s office declined to comment Friday on the case involving Scott.
Tindall had worked for Scott, who owns a lawn-mowing business. Court documents indicate that she told her parents on June 7 that she was going to work. Scott told police that later the same day he drove Tindall back to his home in Arlington, a rural community about 30 miles (50 kilometers) southeast of Indianapolis.
Scott, who was arrested Tuesday, also told investigators he strangled Tindall with his belt in the bedroom of his home when she tried to blackmail and seduce him, according to the documents.
After Tindall was reported missing, searches were mounted to find her, including on Oct. 11, when cadaver-sniffing dogs indicated the smell of decomposition in a pond near Scott’s property, although a search failed to turn up anything, the court documents state.
On Tuesday, police investigators found a large dirt pile and debris on Scott’s property and dug up a rectangular box wrapped in tarp, with human remains inside.
Tindall’s mother, Shena Sandefur, told WRTV-TV the family had trusted Scott, who was their neighbor.
“She and him had a bond. They were friends,” Sandefur said. “She worked for him, but she also hung out with his family. His granddaughter was her friend, and we went places with them.”
veryGood! (4832)
Related
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Pope Francis denounces the weapons industry as he makes a Christmas appeal for peace in the world
- Is anything open on Christmas Day? Store and restaurant chains whose doors are open today.
- After a brutal stretch, a remarkable thing is happening: Cryptocurrencies are surging
- 'No Good Deed': Who's the killer in the Netflix comedy? And will there be a Season 2?
- What's open on Christmas Day 2023? What to know about Walmart, Target, stores, restaurants
- Morocoin Trading Exchange's Analysis of Bitcoin's Development Process
- Liverpool star Mohamed Salah ‘shares pain’ of grieving families at Christmas amid Israel-Hamas war
- Intel's stock did something it hasn't done since 2022
- Why Giants benched QB Tommy DeVito at halftime of loss to Eagles
Ranking
- Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
- The year of social media soul-searching: Twitter dies, X and Threads are born and AI gets personal
- Russian naval ship in Crimea damaged in airstrike by Ukrainian forces, Russian Defense Ministry says
- Kuwaiti and Saudi hunters killed by a leftover Islamic State group explosive in Iraq, officials say
- Moving abroad can be expensive: These 5 countries will 'pay' you to move there
- Migrants cross U.S. border in record numbers, undeterred by Texas' razor wire and Biden's policies
- Is the stock market open on Christmas? See 2023, 2024 holiday schedule
- A sight not seen in decades: The kennels finally empty at this animal shelter
Recommendation
Pregnant Kylie Kelce Shares Hilarious Question Her Daughter Asked Jason Kelce Amid Rising Fame
What's open on Christmas Eve? See hours for Walmart, Target, restaurants, stores, more
Alabama woman pregnant with 2 babies in 2 uteruses gives birth ahead of Christmas
A sight not seen in decades: The kennels finally empty at this animal shelter
Intel's stock did something it hasn't done since 2022
Did You Know These Real-Life Couples Have Starred in Hallmark Channel Movies Together?
Armenian leader travels to Russia despite tensions and promises economic bloc cooperation
An Israeli airstrike in Syria kills a high-ranking Iranian general