Source: Rush County Jail / Rush County Jail
RUSHVILLE, IND — A man named Patrick Scott, 59, received a 57-year prison sentence for admitting to the murder of 17-year-old Valerie Tindall. Tindall went missing in June 2023, and her body was discovered on Scott’s property in Arlington that November.
“A special thank you to Rush County Detectives Randy Meek and Shawn Smallwood for their dedication and professionalism during this investigation,” said Rush County Sheriff Allan Rose.
Scott confessed to strangling Tindall with a belt because she threatened to extort money from him for a new car. As part of a plea deal, Scott pleaded guilty to murder, with obstruction of justice and false informing charges dropped. Scoot also agreed to pay $10,000 in restitution to Tindall’s family.
The Rush County Sheriff’s Office executed 50 search warrants over five months as part of the investigation, collecting massive amounts of data to build their case. Scott stored Tindall’s body in a small, secured office in his until he built a box where he placed her body. He then wheeled her body to another property owned by the Scott family, where he buried her.
The Rush County Sheriff’s Office received assistance from the Rushville Police Department, United States Marshal Services, and the FBI.
