Kada Scott

Kada Scott, a 23-year-old Black woman from Philadelphia, vanished on the night of October 4, 2025, shortly after arriving for her shift at an assisted living facility in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood. A coworker saw her outside, appearing upset while on the phone, and heard her say, “I can’t believe you’re calling me.” Scott left her job about 20 minutes after she had arrived and was never seen alive again. Her family, who described her as having “light, kindness and beautiful spirit,” reported her missing.

After a nearly two-week search that drew widespread community concern, investigators acting on an anonymous tip discovered Scott’s remains on October 18, 2025. She was found in a shallow grave in a wooded area behind the long-vacant Ada H. H. Lewis Middle School in East Germantown. The Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office determined she died from a single gunshot wound to the head and ruled her death a homicide. Her official date of death is listed as October 18, the day her body was found.

Detectives pieced together a grim timeline using digital evidence and surveillance footage. The night after Scott disappeared, cameras near the abandoned school captured two people getting out of a vehicle. Hours later, they were seen removing a heavy object consistent with a human body from a car and carrying it toward the location where her remains were later unearthed. Investigators also linked a burned car to the case and used cellphone data to place a suspect at Scott’s workplace and the site where her body was buried. Based on the video evidence, authorities believe a second person may have been involved and continue to pursue leads on a possible accomplice.

Authorities arrested 21-year-old Keon King of Dover, Delaware, in connection with the crime. He was initially taken into custody on charges including kidnapping. After the medical examiner’s findings, prosecutors added a murder charge. King also faces counts of robbery, abuse of a corpse, theft, arson, and conspiracy. He was denied bail.

In February 2026, following a preliminary hearing where prosecutors presented evidence including cellphone data, a judge ordered Keon King to stand trial on charges of murder, kidnapping, and arson. He is currently awaiting trial.

In the aftermath of her death, community leaders renewed calls to address the blighted and dangerous conditions at the abandoned school where Scott was found. Her family has since established the Kada Scott Foundation to provide scholarships and mentorship for young women. In a move to honor her memory, the Pennsylvania Legislature passed a resolution in October 2026 designating November 18, her birthday, as “Kada Scott Day” across the state.