Law enforcement sources confirmed late Sunday that initial DNA testing suggests human remains discovered behind a deserted middle school belong to Kada Scott, a missing woman from Philadelphia.
On Saturday, Philadelphia police announced they had uncovered remains believed to be those of the 23-year-old who disappeared two weeks prior. However, they awaited official identification from the medical examiner, according to John Stanford, the deputy commissioner of the Philadelphia Police Department. Authorities have been in communication with Scott’s family regarding the development.
After receiving a “very specific” anonymous tip, investigators revisited an area they had previously searched and discovered the remains in a shallow grave nestled within woods behind a deserted school in Germantown. Stanford noted the remains appeared to be those of a female who had been deceased for several days.
A makeshift memorial has emerged in front of the school, where community members have been leaving flowers and offering prayers in remembrance.
DNA testing has linked the remains to Scott’s parents, according to WPVI-TV’s law enforcement sources. Investigators also obtained surveillance footage from a nearby recreation center that seems related to the case, WPVI reported. During their initial search last week, police only discovered a phone case and Scott’s debit card.
Adding to the evidence is a viral TikTok video, which allegedly shows an individual, identified as King, attempting to break into a property by peering through a window, according to police.
Scott was last seen leaving her workplace on Oct. 4. Investigators have asked for the public’s help. Police arrested Keon King, 21, last Monday and charged him with kidnapping, reckless endangerment and stalking, among other charges. He was being held on $2.5 million bond.
Philadelphia PD
Keon King, 21, was arrested Monday in connection with the disappearance of Kada Scott. (Philadelphia PD)
King is the last person Scott was known to have communicated with, according to investigators. She had told family members that someone was harassing her by phone, investigators said previously, according to USA Today — but did not say whether that was King.
King had been charged earlier this year with strangulation and kidnapping for throwing a woman he knew into his car in front of her home, strangling and assaulting her, and eventually letting her go, Assistant District Attorney Ashley Toczylowski said last week. However the case had been dismissed because the witness was a no-show in court, Toczylowski said.
Prosecutors tried for nearly $1 million in bail, but a judge reduced it to $200,000, and King was able to post 10% of that, District Attorney Larry Krasner said. Krasner suspected the witness had been spooked knowing King was roaming free. That case has been reopened.
With News Wire Services
