Background: A 1999 metallic gold Toyota Camry is found by law enforcement in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (WPVI/YouTube). Inset left: Kada Scott (Philadelphia Police Department). Inset right: Keon King (Philadelphia Police Department).
A man has been taken into custody, and a vehicle linked to him has been discovered in the investigation of a young Philadelphia woman’s unsettling disappearance. Despite these developments, the woman remains missing.
Kada Scott, 23, vanished on October 4, shortly after arriving for her night shift at a city-based assisted living facility. On Wednesday, Philadelphia Police revealed they had made an arrest in the case: 21-year-old Keon King. He faces charges of kidnapping, reckless endangerment, and criminal use of a communication device, namely his phone.
King was being processed on Wednesday as authorities gave an update into the investigation. Later in the day, law enforcement officials announced they located a vehicle of interest “attached” to King — a 1999 metallic gold Toyota Camry that had been driving “all over the city.”
As the search for Scott continues, now more than 11 days since she was last seen, authorities have highlighted a disturbing revelation about King: this isn’t his first alleged offense.
“This individual, who does have prior history of being arrested, especially for this very same thing this year, was charged with kidnapping another female acquaintance,” Philadelphia Police Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore said during a Wednesday news conference.
King is accused of abducting another woman from her home, forcefully dragging her into a car, assaulting her, and then eventually releasing her, according to Ashley Toczylowski, assistant district attorney with the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office. This earlier incident was characterized as “domestic in nature.”
The case against King was initially dismissed when the victim and a witness failed to attend court hearings twice in a row. However, in light of his recent arrest, the case has been reopened.
“We believe this behavior is part of a pattern for this individual,” Toczylowski stated.
Similar to the other case, King is believed to have known Scott, but how is still being investigated.
Background: A “Missing” poster for Kada Scott can be seen stuck to a post in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (WPVI/YouTube). Inset: Kada Scott (Philadelphia Police Department).
“Our evidence is pretty clear that she was in communication with an individual,” Vanore said on Wednesday. “That individual appears to meet her very shortly after she leaves her place of work, and very shortly after that, she disappears.”
Police searched an abandoned elementary school near the Awbury Arboretum in the neighborhood of Germantown on Wednesday, per local ABC affiliate WPVI. They found evidence there, police said, including a phone case.
But King had allegedly been trying to cover his tracks. Officers believe he dumped his car at a different location — though it was later recovered — and “got rid of things” such as his phone. Still, officers managed to “track his phone and communications” and “all roads at this point lead to him,” Toczylowski stated.
King was arrested “for his involvement” in Scott’s disappearance, police said at the news conference.
Scott was described by authorities as being “energetic” and communicative — so her family was worried when she didn’t come home from her job at The Terrace at Chestnut Hill or give an update as to where she was. She was reportedly seen leaving work in black scrubs shortly after arriving at the facility that Oct. 4 night, and her car was left in the parking lot.
What made the case especially “troubling,” Philadelphia Police Captain John Craig said last week, was that “in the days prior to her disappearance, Ms. Scott related to family and friends that unknown individuals or a person had been harassing her via phone.”
Now, as police have a suspect and multiple pieces of evidence to sift through, they emphasized that the most important work is not done.
“The number one priority is locating Miss Scott,” Philadelphia Police First Deputy Commissioner John Stanford said on Wednesday. “We have the hopes that we are still treating this as if Ms. Scott is still alive, and that’s why we want the public’s help in trying to locate every single piece of this.”
Authorities asked anyone with information about King to come forward.
