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Remains of missing woman Kada Scott identified, new details released as suspect Keon King faces additional charges of arson and conspiracy
The Philadelphia man charged in the disappearance of 23-year-old Kada Scott is facing a new set of charges, Philadelphia prosecutors announced Monday after investigators located Scott’s remains.
In addition to initial kidnapping charges, Keon King, 21, is now also being charged with arson, causing catastrophe, conspiracy and tampering with evidence, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office said during a Monday press conference. Investigators linked King through video evidence to a stolen car that was set on fire a few days after Scott went missing earlier this month.
The additional charges come after Scott’s remains were found near an abandoned Middle School in a shallow grave. Officials said Monday that DNA evidence confirmed that the human remains belong to Scott.
Scott went missing on Oct. 4 shortly after she reported to work for an overnight shift. Authorities believe King was the last person to have been in contact with Scott on the evening of her disappearance before her phone went offline. King was arrested last Tuesday and charged with kidnapping, false imprisonment and stalking in connection with Scott’s disappearance.
Before Scott went missing, she told family members she was being harassed, but it was not immediately unclear if she was referring to King.
As of Monday, King has not been charged with homicide. But Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said Monday that his office is “not done,” investigating, telling reporters, “I am confident that homicide charges will be brought.”
King is also facing another kidnapping charge from January 2025 after he allegedly took a woman from in front of her house, assaulted her and then let her go, officials say. ABC News cites sources who say a resurfaced TikTok video of a man peering in a window stems from that incident.
The Philadelphia Police Department’s homicide division is leading the investigation into Scott’s disappearance with the help of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Violent Crime Task Force.
The DA’s office said at this point, they can’t confirm the relationship between Scott and King.
As the investigation into Scott’s death continues, here’s the timeline of her disappearance and key discoveries in the case so far:
Timeline
Friday, Oct. 3
A 2008 black Hyundai Accent was stolen from the 6600 block of Sprague Street, according to officials.
Data placed King’s cellphone in the area where the vehicle was stolen, but not at the exact location, the DA’s office later said.
Saturday, Oct. 4
Scott showed up to work an overnight shift around 10 p.m. ET at a senior living facility in Philadelphia, according to investigators.
Police believe Scott was at work for about 20 minutes before she left work without her car, and that she was communicating with King at this point.
Sunday, Oct. 5
Kada Scott’s father, Kevin Scott, said when Kada didn’t return home after her overnight shift, her mother called the senior living facility and received conflicting reports about her daughter’s whereabouts.
Kevin Scott said he met the police at the nursing home and found Kada’s car in the parking lot. Her iPhone, keys, iPad and other personal items weren’t inside her car.
Tuesday, Oct. 7
The 2008 black Hyundai Accent was burned. Firefighters and police responded to a 911 call that there was a car on fire. Police determined that it was arson.
When investigators in the Scott case went to the scene, the burned vehicle had already been towed and compacted and was at a junkyard.
Friday, Oct. 10
Police searched the Awbury Arboretum in East Germantown, a 55-acre property, where Kada’s phone last pinged from. “Our evidence that we have put us in this location, so we’re going to be thorough,” Philadelphia Police Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore told reporters.
No evidence was uncovered that led to Scott’s whereabouts.
Tuesday, Oct. 14
King was arrested and taken into custody, and he was charged with kidnapping and reckless endangerment. Police later said that digital evidence and video led them to King, but did not provide further details.
The District Attorney’s Office refiled charges against King from an earlier case this year that had been withdrawn.
Wednesday, Oct. 15
That morning, Philadelphia police held a press conference and asked for the public’s help in locating a 1999 gold Toyota Camry with heavy front-end damage and a Pennsylvania license plate. “At this point we believe [King] is connected to this vehicle. We also believe [Scott] may have been in that vehicle,” Assistant District Attorney Ashley Toczylowski told reporters.
Hours after the press conference, officers located the Toyota Camry that matched their description in a parking lot at an apartment complex, following a tip they received. Police said the car will be searched after a search warrant is obtained.
A second tip was received after the news conference that led investigators to an abandoned middle school, where they found Scott’s phone case and debit card. “This is some of the most concrete, physical evidence that we have found since Ms. Scott has gone missing,” Philadelphia Police Sgt. Eric Gripp told local outlet KYW.
Friday, Oct. 18
Police received a “very specific” tip that came in overnight Friday that led police to an area near the rec center of Ada Lewis Middle School, which is an abandoned building.
The DA’s office later declined to comment on how police received the tip and said it’s not known whether the specific tip came from a relative of King’s.
Saturday, Oct. 19
Investigators found Scott’s remains near the recreation center of an abandoned middle school.
The remains were removed from the scene by late afternoon and handled by the medical examiner’s office.
Monday, Oct. 20
The Philadelphia DA’s office announced new charges against King for the burning of the 2008 black Hyundai Accent.
Investigators said they obtained video surveillance of the Hyundai, which led them to believe that the same car was used to move Scott on the day she went missing to where her remains were ultimately found near the middle school.
Cellphone data also allegedly placed King at the location near the middle school where Scott’s remains were found, as well as at the location where the car was burned on Oct. 7, according to the DA’s office.
The DA’s office says the car was at the middle school for “about a day and a half” before it left the location and was burned on Oct. 7.
The medical examiner has not yet determined the cause or manner of Scott’s death.
Scott’s mother and father released a statement regarding their daughter’s death, saying in part: “Today, we’ll say her name tomorrow, we’ll say her name, and forever, we will say her name. It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved daughter, Kada Scott.” The family requested space and privacy as they mourn Kada.
King’s previous kidnapping arrest
Toczylowski told reporters last Wednesday that she also learned that King had a previous case from earlier this year for similar conduct: strangulation and kidnapping of a female that was domestic in nature. “The allegations in that case are that he kidnapped a woman in front of her house, threw her in her car, assaulted her and eventually let her out of the car,” Toczylowski said.
The previous case was dismissed after the victim twice did not appear in court.
Toczylowski said the District Attorney’s Office has refiled those charges against King. “We believe there is enough to proceed, and we also do believe that this is a pattern for this person,” she explained.
“At this point, [King] will have two open kidnapping cases that will face preliminary hearings in the coming months,” said Toczylowski.
King is currently being held on a $2.5 million bail for the initial kidnapping charges in Scott’s case. More information is expected regarding bail on the new arson charges announced Monday.
A preliminary hearing for King is scheduled for Nov. 4.