On October 15, the Philadelphia Police Department announced that a suspect had been arrested in connection to the disappearance of 23-year-old Kada Scott.
Kada was last seen on October 4 after leaving for her shift at The Terrace at Chestnut Hill assisted living facility. Kevin Scott told Dateline his daughter was scheduled to work from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., but did not return home the next day.
Kada’s family later learned she had left work early, and that the car she had driven to work was left behind. The rest of her belongings appeared to have been taken with her. She was reported missing on October 5.
In the days that followed, investigators with the Philadelphia Police Department conducted extensive searches of the area, but no sign of Kada was found. During an October 8 press conference, authorities announced that they were continuing to interview family and friends and analyze Kada’s cellphone data.
Then, on October 15, the department held another press conference at which they announced that a suspect had been arrested and charged in connection to Kada’s disappearance.
“Our evidence is pretty clear that she was in communication with an individual,” Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore said during the press conference. “That individual appears to meet her shortly after she leaves her place of work, and shortly after that, she disappears off the footprint.”
At the press conference, authorities identified that individual as 21-year-old Keon King. Assistant District Attorney Ashley Toczylowski, with the homicide unit, said that extensive evidence pointed to King’s involvement. “Our investigation has led us here, and we are able to charge him with kidnapping, recklessly endangering another person, and use of a communication facility — meaning his phone. We were able to track communications on his phone,” she said during the press conference.
This isn’t the first time King has been charged with a similar crime. Toczylowski stated that earlier this year, he was charged with the strangulation and kidnapping of another individual, but the charges were ultimately dropped. “That case had been withdrawn by our office based on the witness failing to appear in court,” she explained. In the wake of Kada’s kidnapping, that case is now being reopened. “So at this point, he will have two open kidnapping cases that will face preliminary hearings in the coming months,” she added.
Dateline reached out for comment to an attorney on file in court records for King but has not heard back.
During the press conference, the department made it clear that Kada’s case is still being handled as a missing persons investigation. “The case was shifted to homicide because we have the most experienced investigators in the homicide unit,” Philadelphia Police Deputy Commissioner John Stanford said. “We’re still treating this as if Ms. Scott is alive.”
The FBI's Violent Crime Task Force are also involved in the investigation.
Authorities also asked for the public’s help in locating a vehicle — a 1999 metallic gold Toyota Camry with Pennsylvania tag MSX0797. Investigators said the car was seen on video traveling through the city and is believed to be connected to the suspect, Keon King. “We need to know where this car is. We need to find this car,” Stanford emphasized.
According to NBC Philadelphia, shortly after the press conference, investigators received a tip about evidence found outside Ada H. Lewis Middle School, an abandoned school in the area. Sergeant Eric Gripp of the Philadelphia Police Department told the station that officers arrived at the scene and were able to locate evidence linking Kada to the location. No additional information about the tip has been provided.
Then, around 3:10 p.m., police received another tip — this one concerning King’s vehicle. Officers traced it to the parking lot behind an apartment complex in Philadelphia’s East Falls neighborhood. The Camry, which had heavily tinted windows, was located at the scene. At the time, it was unclear if anything was inside. NBC Philadelphia reported that investigators were in the process of towing the vehicle and obtaining a warrant to search it.
Kada is 5’6”, weighs 120 lbs., and was last seen wearing black joggers and a black top. Anyone with information is asked to call the Philadelphia Police Department at 215-686-3353.
This article has been updated to include information about King’s car having been located.
