PHILADELPHIA – A major breakthrough in the search for missing Philadelphia woman Kada Scott prompted the discovery of human remains behind a former school Saturday morning.

What we know (As of Sunday, Oct. 19)

Police say the discovery of the human remains was made around 10 a.m. Saturday near the former Ada Lewis Middle School on Boyer Street, after investigators received an anonymous tip. 

Officers found a shallow grave containing human remains that appeared to belong to a woman. The Medical Examiner’s Office will conduct testing to confirm the identity.

Scott, 23, was last seen on Oct. 4 after arriving for an overnight shift at a senior-living facility. Her car was later found parked at the facility, and investigators recovered several personal items nearby — including her glasses, a cellphone case, an iPad case and a bank card.

Who is Keon King?

Police arrested Keon King, 21, last week and charged him with kidnapping, false imprisonment and stalking in connection with Scott’s disappearance. His bail was set at $2.5 million. 

According to prosecutors and police sources, King was previously charged this year after allegedly abducting and assaulting another woman. While that case involved video evidence and severe allegations — including strangulation — it was dropped when the victim and a key witness failed to show up in court. Now, with Scott’s disappearance under investigation, officials say the earlier case has been reopened and may reveal a pattern of behavior.

District Attorney Larry Krasner’s office said it will release additional information in the coming days as investigators continue to piece together Scott’s final movements and examine new forensic evidence.

Timeline: The Disappearance of Kada Scott

October 4 – Kada Scott goes missing

• Investigators say Scott arrived for her overnight shift around 10 p.m. at The Terrace at Chestnut Hill, a senior-living facility in East Mount Airy.
• Police believe she was not on the job long before leaving the campus.
• There were no surveillance cameras in the parking lot where she was last seen.

October 4 – Reported missing by parents

• When Scott didn’t return home that morning, her mother called the facility and received conflicting reports about her whereabouts. Scott’s parents met police at the nursing home shortly afterward, where they found her car still in the parking lot.
• Inside the car were none of her personal items — her phone, iPad, keys and other belongings were missing.
• Her father, Kevin Scott, told FOX 29 that the last time anyone saw Kada was around 10:30 or 10:45 p.m. that night.

October 10 – Police search Awbury Arboretum

• Acting on new leads, investigators searched Awbury Arboretum in East Germantown — one of the last places where Kada’s phone pinged before it was deactivated.
• Officers and K9 units combed the 55-acre property but found no evidence of her whereabouts.

October 11–14 – FBI and Homicide detectives join search

• The FBI and Philadelphia Homicide Unit joined the investigation to assist local police.
• Officials clarified that homicide detectives’ involvement did not automatically mean Scott’s case was being treated as a homicide, but rather that the department’s most experienced investigators were working the case.

October 15 – Keon King charged with kidnapping

• Nearly two weeks after the search began, police charged 21-year-old Keon King with kidnapping, false imprisonment, and stalking in connection with Scott’s disappearance.
• Investigators believe King was the last person to have seen her on the night she vanished.

October 16 – Philadelphia DA reopens King’s prior case

• District Attorney Larry Krasner announced that King’s earlier kidnapping and assault case — previously dismissed when a key witness failed to appear — had been re-filed.
• Krasner called the decision to release King on bail in that prior case “a failure that may have had tragic consequences.”

October 18 – Human remains discovered

• Acting on an anonymous tip, investigators returned to a wooded area near the former Ada Lewis Middle School in East Germantown and found a shallow grave containing human remains.
• Authorities believe the remains belong to a woman, but formal identification is pending from the Medical Examiner’s Office.

October 19 – Investigation continues

• As of Sunday morning, the Medical Examiner is working to determine the identity and cause of death.
• Prosecutors are reviewing evidence that could lead to additional charges against King as the investigation continues.

What you can do:

Kada’s family has started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to raise “awareness, support search efforts, and ensure that no lead goes unheard.”

The GoFundMe has raised over $15.4k as of this writing. You can donate here.

The Source: Information in this story is from the Philadelphia Police Department and previous FOX 29 reports.

PhiladelphiaCrime & Public Safety