• Human remains discovered Saturday behind vacant Philadelphia school confirmed as missing beauty queen Kada Scott, 23
• DNA testing showed 99.9% match to Scott’s parents, ending two-week search that mobilized FBI and Philadelphia Homicide Unit
• Suspect Keon King, 21, charged with kidnapping, held on $2.5 million bail as prosecutors review evidence for additional charges

PHILADELPHIA (TDR) — A “very specific” anonymous tip led Philadelphia police to human remains found in a shallow grave Saturday behind an abandoned school, bringing a devastating end to the two-week search for Kada Scott, a Penn State graduate and former Miss Philadelphia Township contestant.

DNA testing confirmed with 99.9% certainty that the remains belong to Scott, matching samples collected from her parents. The 23-year-old beauty queen was last seen Oct. 4 leaving her job at The Terrace at Chestnut Hill, an assisted living facility in Philadelphia’s Chestnut Hill neighborhood, around 9:30 p.m.

Discovery follows intensive search

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First Deputy Commissioner John Stanford said investigators received the anonymous tip late Friday night, directing them to a wooded area behind the vacant Ada H. Lewis Middle School near Awbury Arboretum in East Germantown. Officers arrived around 10 a.m. Saturday and discovered the shallow grave containing female remains.

“No one is happy that this is the ending,” Stanford said during a Saturday evening news conference. “This could have been any one of our family members.”

Police had previously searched the same location earlier in the week, recovering Scott’s debit card, phone case, iPad case and glasses. The wooded terrain and size of the search area made earlier efforts challenging, Stanford explained.

Community members who had been searching for Scott expressed frustration that the body wasn’t found sooner. Some had searched the area Friday night and reported finding fresh dirt and a strange smell.

Suspect has troubling history

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Keon King, 21, of Southwest Philadelphia, was arrested and charged with kidnapping in connection with Scott’s disappearance. He is being held on $2.5 million bail at Philadelphia’s Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility.

Prosecutors said evidence shows Scott was in communication with King and appeared to meet with him shortly after leaving work on Oct. 4. “Mr. King is the last person we believe to be in contact with her when she went offline,” Assistant District Attorney Ashley Toczylowski said.

King allegedly has a pattern of violent behavior. He was previously charged earlier this year in a case involving accusations of strangulation and kidnapping of another woman. Those charges were withdrawn in May when the victim failed to appear in court but have since been refiled.

Video evidence from the earlier incident, which prosecutors say is “domestic in nature,” shows King stalking outside a North Philadelphia woman’s home, peering through windows as she yelled for him to leave.

Promising future cut short

Scott was born and raised in Philadelphia’s Mount Airy neighborhood. She graduated from Penn State University in 2023 with a communications degree and recently began competing in beauty pageants.

“She broke into it this past summer. It’s called Miss USA,” her father, Kevin Scott, told Dateline. “That was actually her first time participating in a pageant. She said she loved the experience and wanted to do it again.”

Scott had recently started working at the assisted living facility while pursuing entrepreneurial dreams, including plans to launch her own healthcare business. Family members described her as creative, with a passion for fashion and design.

Before her disappearance, Scott told family and friends she was being harassed by unknown individuals via phone, though it remains unclear if King was responsible for the harassment.

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker released a statement Saturday expressing condolences. “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,” Parker said.

Prosecutors are reviewing evidence to determine what additional charges King will face. The investigation remains active, with authorities urging anyone with information to call 215-686-TIPS (8477).

Should previous domestic violence charges that were dropped factor into bail decisions for new arrests?

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