On Sunday, a rapid DNA test found a 99.9 percent match between DNA reportedly recovered from the scene and DNA samples collected from Scott’s parents, FOX29 reported, strongly indicating that the remains are that of Scott. The grim discovery was made behind an abandoned school near Awbury Arboretum, where police had been scouring the area for 23-year-old Kada Scott, who vanished on October 4. Stanford said investigators were in touch with Scott’s family on the developments but he declined to answer specific questions, citing an active investigation. While investigators had already concentrated their efforts in the densely forested area, it was an anonymous tip that ultimately led to the breakthrough. Stanford said the tip was sent through the department’s anonymous tip line and led them to the shallow grave. Stanford said the remains will be identified by the Philadelphia Medical Examiners Office, which did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment.
- King is also facing charges in what officials call a similar case from earlier this year in which a woman was allegedly kidnapped and strangled, but survived.
- Stanford said he understands people’s frustrations amid the tragic circumstances, but said he believes the department has done enough in the case.
- It was not clear what time Scott left work, but officials said her shift typically was from 10 p.m.
Local time on Saturday, First Deputy Commissioner of the Philadelphia Police Department John Stanford told reporters during a press briefing on Saturday evening. Then later Wednesday afternoon, police received another tip and responded to the Gypsy Lane Condominiums on the 4000 block of Gypsy Lane Wednesday afternoon. Police towed the vehicle and searched through it but didn’t find Scott. Police spokeswoman Tanya Little said Sunday that the department did not have any updates.
DNA testing indicates remains are those of missing Philadelphia woman Kada Scott
Scott was last seen by her mother on Oct. 4 when she was leaving for work at a nearby nursing home, police said last week. Keon King, 21, was previously charged with kidnapping “for his involvement” in the disappearance of Scott, authorities said. Police said they believe 21-year-old Keon King is the man connected to Scott’s disappearance. He is currently being held on $250,000 cash bail, facing charges of kidnapping and stalking.
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In the first case, the prosecutor said King kidnapped a woman from in front of her house, “threw her in her car, assaulted her and eventually let her out.” Scott’s family also created a GoFundMe to raise reward money for anyone with information on her whereabouts. “There are no words that I can employ to remove the unimaginable pain and turmoil that the family of Kada Scott is experiencing with the tragic loss of their beloved daughter, sister and loved one,” the mayor said. Stanford said he understands people’s frustrations amid the tragic circumstances, but said he believes the department has done enough in the case. “Sign number one, fresh dirt under a board,” one man who searched for Scott said.
School staffer dies following alleged assault by 14-year-old student: DA
“In the days leading up to her disappearance, Ms. Scott related to her family and friends that an unknown individual or person had been harassing her via phone,” Craig said. They also stated that investigators have “located a gold Toyota Camry connected to Kada’s disappearance,” and that the vehicle has been “secured and transported for comprehensive forensic processing.” He went on to say that the tip led them to a “wooded area” behind the school, where they located the remains.
A message left Sunday for the medical examiner’s office wasn’t immediately returned. Police in Philadelphia discovered human remains in their search for Kada Scott, a missing woman who was last seen leaving the nursing home where she worked about two weeks ago. On the evening of Oct. 4, Scott arrived at work, but left prior to her shift’s completion, Philadelphia police Capt. John Craig said during a press conference last week.
- The remains were identified by the medical examiner’s office using DNA evidence, the sources said.
- Scott was last seen leaving an assisted living facility where she worked on the night of Oct. 4, police previously stated.
- The items were recovered by police and are under forensic examination, they said.
- “While conducting a search of the property, investigators discovered a shallow grave and recovered human remains believed to be those of Kada Scott,” police said in the statement.
Police search for woman who went missing in Philadelphia
In a statement on the disappearance of Scott, released on Saturday night, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said that the city would support Scott’s family in their time of need. Police had previously searched the area of the school and the arboretum in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, but only said they had found some physical evidence without specifying what the evidence was. But Marty O’Rourke, spokesperson for the courts, sharply disputed the district attorney’s statements, calling them “appallingly disrespectful” and an attempt to “scapegoat” for his mishandling of the case. When asked why prosecutors didn’t push for higher bail, Krasner said appealing overnight can be difficult. Those charges were dropped when the victim didn’t show up in court, but prosecutors plan to refile them. Hours before the car’s discovery, another tip led police to search Ada H. Lewis Middle School, an abandoned building near the Awbury Arboretum.
Cell phone data also allegedly places King at the various locations connected to this case, including where the vehicle was burned as well as when the vehicle was seen near the rec center where the remains were found. Investigators said they were able to obtain surveillance video of the vehicle, leading them to believe that the Hyundai is the car used to move Scott to where her remains were ultimately found near Ada Lewis Middle School. Those new charges come as officials say they have located a vehicle they believe is connected to the case. Police were previously asking the public’s help in locating the suspect’s vehicle, a 1999 metallic-gold Toyota Camry with a Pennsylvania license plate of MSX-0797, which they believe Scott may have been in. Later that day, police confirmed to ABC News that King’s vehicle was found in an apartment lot.
“So we begin to try to dig with our hands, and there’s maggots there under the ground, and there’s a strange smell coming from the ground.” Mayor Cherelle L. Parker offered prayers and support to Scott’s family with a statement on Facebook. “The reason they had to worry he was going to come out of the same door they went in the courthouse right after they testified against him https://p1nup.in/ is because he was on bail,” said Krasner. Krasner admitted Friday that his office should have handled that case differently.
Human remains have been found in a “shallow grave” amid the search for missing Philadelphia woman Kada Scott. When asked why the DA’s office didn’t petition for a higher bail, Krasner said it was a strategic decision not to bother judges overnight. As the investigation continued, police determined that 23-year-old Keon King of Dover, Delaware, was the last person to see Scott before her disappearance.
Videos posted on social media showed a man – who investigators identified as King – hopping a fence and walking up to the window of a North Philadelphia home. The woman recording the video tells King to leave before telling another woman to call police, officials said. The video then shows King walking to the side of the home, peering into another window and trying to get inside, according to investigators. Part of that incident was captured in a viral video showing King peering through and knocking on windows as someone inside yelled for help and told others to call police. Krasner said the victim feared testifying because King was out on bail. Before she vanished, Scott had reportedly told people she was being harassed, though it remains unclear if King was the person she was referring to.
Philadelphia police find human remains in search for missing woman
Officials say a tip led police to a burned 2008 black Hyundai Accent.
The discovery came after a “very specific” anonymous tip drew law enforcement to a wooded area. Police then announced King’s arrest during a press conference on Wednesday, Oct. 15. They then released surveillance photos of King’s vehicle, a gold 1999 Toyota Camry which they believe Scott was inside at one point. Later on Wednesday, police responded to the vacant Ada H. Lewis Middle School on the 6100 block of Ardleigh Street – which is located near the Awbury Arboretum – after receiving a tip. Police recovered a cellphone case outside the school, according to sources.
Last week, police searching the area recovered items they believe belonged to Scott, including an iPad case, a card with her name on it and a pair of glasses. At a news conference over the weekend, Stanford called for people with any information about the case or King to contact law enforcement. Officials said they received two tips, the first led them to an elementary school where they recovered evidence “of value,” and the second that led them to the vehicle connected to Scott’s disappearance. Scott was reported missing to police on Oct. 5, with law enforcement saying they had “some concern, more so than usual,” regarding her disappearance due to worrying phone calls she was receiving. The remains found Saturday were located in a deeply wooded area behind Ada H. Lewis Middle School, an abandoned school near Awbury Arboretum in Germantown, an area that was central to a search earlier this week, police said on Saturday.
He was the last person in contact with Scott before she disappeared, according to police. Scott, who lived in East Mount Airy, has been missing for about two weeks. Her family reported her missing on Oct. 5, and she was last seen leaving her job at an assisted living facility in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia the prior night. Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner revealed additional information about the case in a press conference on Friday, Oct. 17.
This comes just days after human remains were found behind a vacant school in Philadelphia’s Germantown. “Mr. King is the last person we believe to be in contact with her when she went offline,” Ashley Kozlowski, the Philadelphia assistant district attorney, said during a press conference on Wednesday. At a press conference on Oct. 15, Philadelphia Assistant District Attorney Ashley Toczylowski said King was the last person in contact with Scott when her cell phone and social media activities dropped. The charges against King in connection to the earlier kidnapping were refiled on Tuesday, Oct. 14, following his arrest in Scott’s disappearance, officials said. The video was recorded earlier this year, about an hour before King allegedly kidnapped a woman, threw her in a car, assaulted her and then let her out of the vehicle. Assistant District Attorney Ashley Toczylowski told NBC10 that King’s 2-year-old child was in the backseat of the car during the incident.