Kada Scott, a 23-year-old woman from Philadelphia whose disappearance on October 4 sparked a massive search, reached a major turning point on Sunday. The remains of a female were found behind Ada Lewis Middle School in Germantown on Saturday. On Sunday, the medical examiner said DNA test confirmed that the body belonged to Scott.
The identification comes as a major update in the case, after the arrest of 21-year-old Keon King in relation to Kada Scott's disappearance. He has been charged with kidnapping, false imprisonment and stalking Scott.
The police first conducted a search in the area near the Awbury Arboretum in eastern Germantown on Wednesday, but failed to make a breakthrough. Then, another search was conducted in the area following a "very specific" tip which lead them straight to the location where the remains were found.
Scott's cause of death is yet to be determined, and the police probe continues. More details are likely to emerge in the coming days.
Kada Scott Death: What We Know So Far
Kada Scott was reported missing by her parents on the morning of October 4 after she did not return home from work. Scott worked at a senior living facility in East Mount Airy, called The Terrace at Chestnut Hill.
{{/usCountry}}Kada Scott was reported missing by her parents on the morning of October 4 after she did not return home from work. Scott worked at a senior living facility in East Mount Airy, called The Terrace at Chestnut Hill.
{{/usCountry}}Scott was last seen at the parking lot of the senior living facility as she was leaving. But, per the police, there was a gap between the time her shift ended and when she supposedly left the campus. Scott's whereabouts during that period remain unclear, and there was no surveillance footage at the parking lot.
But police found her car in the parking lot, meaning that she never left the parking lot in her car. None of her personal belongings were found in it.
The first arrest in the case came after the FBI and the homicide detectives joined the investigation on October 11. Police believe that 21-year-old Keon King was the last person who saw Scott on the night she disappeared.
King was previously arrested for stalking a different woman and was out on bail. Additionally, Scott had reportedly told a friend that she was being harassed, they did not specifically say if it was King. But the DA refiled the slaking cases against King after links came up in Scott's case, as well.
He does not yet face murder charges and prosecutors are working on the available evidence to assess if murder charges can be filed. The body being found on Saturday will be key to further findings in the case.
"We have been in communication with her family as to this process and in the fact that we have recovered a human being," First Deputy Commissioner John Stanford said. He also asked residents to contact the police if they have any information in the case.