Kada Scott (23) was allegedly murdered by Keon King (21) in October 2025.
Kada lived with family in Philadelphia at the time of her death. Her mother is Kim Matthews and her father is Kevin Scott. She was a graduate of Penn State University.
This is an excerpt from her LinkedIn profile:
Hello, I’m a senior at Penn State majoring in Communications Liberal Arts & Sciences. I’m looking for an internship position in media, industry, software companies and marketing to develop my knowledge and skills. I would like to expand my entrepreneurship and leadership skills. Establishing and operating my own business will be applied or contribute to the internship with the skills.
According to her profile, Kada graduated in 2023 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Kada also enjoyed fashion, art and modelling. She apparently started her own spa business
Kada also participated in beauty pageants. Earlier in 2025, she was in the running to become the next Miss Pennsylvania USA, and was hoping to represent her state at the next Miss USA pageant.
In October 2025, Kada was working at an assisted living facility called The Terrace in the Chestnut Hill area of Philadelphia.
Some info about the area:
Featuring leafy streets lined with stately historic mansions and Victorian townhouses, affluent Chestnut Hill is known as the city’s garden district. Home to the Morris Arboretum and its canopy walkway, the neighborhood also draws literature fans and aspiring wizards to the Harry Potter Festival every October. Picturesque Germantown Avenue is lined with antiques shops, art galleries, tearooms and farmers’ markets.
And some info about the assisted living facility:
Nestled just a short drive from downtown Philadelphia, near Germantown amidst luscious, turn-of-the-century buildings is The Terrace at Chestnut Hill.
Built from a charming 19th-century stone mansion, our upscale senior living community in Philadelphia offers a compassionate environment of personal care, memory care, and enriching lifestyles for your loved one. Whether inside spacious personal care suites or in one of our beautiful walking gardens, residents are surrounded by people-first care in a vibrant senior living community.
Kada had only been employed at The Terrace for around two weeks prior to Saturday October 4, 2025. During this time, Kada told her family that she had been receiving disturbing phone calls and was being harassed.
Her father Kevin Scott told the media that Kada had been assigned to the 10pm-6am overnight shift that day. Kada drove her mother’s vehicle to the facility and she was last seen by her family around 9.45pm that night.
Around 10pm, Kada was seen by a colleague outside of The Terrace. She was seen walking towards a dark-colored SUV that was parked outside. “I can’t believe you’re calling me about this s–t,” the coworker reportedly heard Kada say into her phone. She got into the vehicle and it left.
When Kada did not return home the next morning after her shift, her parents called the facility. They said they received ‘conflicting reports’ about where Kada was.
They drove to the facility and met police there later that day. They discovered that her mother’s car was still in the parking lot.
“She had an iPad, iPhone and Apple Watch in her bag, but they were not inside the vehicle,” her father said. “Whatever happened, she took her belongings with her.”
Police obtained cell phone records and found that Kada had received 12 calls from the same number between 9.25pm and 10.12pm on the night of October 4. She also took a 43 second call from the number.
“Our evidence is pretty clear that she was in communication with an individual, that individual appears to meet her very shortly after she leaves her place of work, and very shortly after that, she disappears,” Philadelphia Police Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore said.
At 10.24pm, Kada’s cell phone stopped all network contact.
The FBI quickly joined the search for Kada.
“It’s a troubling missing person report,” Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore told the media after Kada was reported missing. “We don’t know if foul play was involved, but we certainly see some signs that this person wasn’t voluntarily missing.”
Kada’s aunt Bree White and her cousin Khalil Scott also searched for her.
“We’ve been out here since yesterday in the rain,” said Bree. “To me, at this point it’s just getting out here and looking for her.”
“Canvass the neighborhoods, any leads we can possibly get so we can forward to police in hopes of getting my daughter back home,” said her father, Kevin Scott. “You never know what little, small, minuscule information may apply to the big picture, the puzzle that might get Kada home.”
On October 14, Keon King turned himself in to the police.
Keon had a troubling past. He had been charged twice prior to October 2025 with felony counts for attacking an ex-girlfriend. Both times, the charges were withdrawn. This occurred after witnesses and the victim didn’t show up for the preliminary hearings.
You can read the court documents for this case here:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1c33zmKj9Qw-mwJfw3qZwwxuS4byhWnSt
Keon had a troubling past. He had been charged twice prior to October 2025 with felony counts for attacking an ex-girlfriend. Both times, the charges were withdrawn. This occurred after witnesses and the victim didn’t show up for the preliminary hearings.
Philadelphia Police Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore said that evidence showed it was “pretty clear” Keon had been communicating with Kada.
With Keon now identified as the main suspect in the case, police were able to investigate his movements prior to Kada’s disappearance.
On October 3, 2025 (the day before Kada disappeared), a 2008 black Hyundai Accent was stolen from the 6600 block of Sprague Street in Philadelphia at around 11.30pm. The vehicle had been left unattended by a food delivery driver.
Police have said they believe Keon stole the vehicle.
When they examined Keon’s phone records, they found texts between him and Kada.
Earlier in the day on October 4, Kada texted Keon “kidnap me again,” to which he replied, “better be up too.” Their final exchange came at 10:09 p.m., when she texted, “cm when u here.”
Cell phone data would show that both Keon and Kada were near The Terrace at 10.15pm on October 4.
At 10.28pm, a dark-colored vehicle was seen pulling into the Awbury Recreation parking lot, across the street from the abandoned Ada Lewis Middle School.
On October 5, Keon’s cell phone was tracked on multiple trips around his home on Belmar Terrace and the area around the middle school.
At 11.39pm, a vehicle similar to Keon’s 1999 gold Toyota Camry was seen pulling into the parking lot, near where the dark-colored vehicle had been seen the night before.
On October 6 at 4am, the gold vehicle was seen moving closer to where the dark-colored vehicle was parked. CCTV shows two people going to the dark vehicle and removing a ‘heavy object consistent with a human body’ from the passenger side of the vehicle.
The people were seen carrying the object towards the playground of the abandoned school.
On October 7 at 2.48am, one person was seen getting into the dark-colored vehicle and driving off.
Police received a tip that day about a burned Hyundai Accent. When investigators arrived to inspect the vehicle, it had been towed, compacted and was at a junk yard.
On October 9, police searched a property, thought to be Keon’s home. Investigators found three phones, one tablet, contractor bags, latex gloves, a hammer and 9mm ammunition, according to court documents.
At 3pm on October 10, Keon’s gold Camry arrived in the parking lot at Gypsy Lane Condos.
A man fitting Keon’s description was seen repeatedly exiting the vehicle and accessing the trunk, before leaving the car and the scene.
That day, police searched the grounds of the Awbury Arboretum for Kada. Officials said nothing was found in relation to the search at that time.
Police announced on October 15 that Keon had been arrested. He was charged with kidnapping and related offenses. He was ordered to be held on $2.5m bail.
Authorities appealed for help in locating Keon’s Toyota Camry. A tip was called in, indicating that it was parked at the Gypsy Lane Condos.
Police searched the Awbury Arboretum again that day. Drones, K9s and crime scene teams were deployed to the abandoned middle school. There, police found Kada’s card, an iPad case, glasses and a phone case.
On October 17, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner addressed the previously dropped charges against Keon in regards to the prior kidnapping incidents.
Keon allegedly kidnapped a woman from in front of her house, “threw her in her car, assaulted her and eventually let her out.”
“We could have done better in that. A really sophisticated approach to the case would have been to try to put it all in with video evidence,” he said.
The DA also spoke about why the witness had not shown up in court at the time. “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 is because he was on bail,” he said.
Keon had been able to post 10% of the $200,000 bail in his first kidnapping arrest.
When the DA was asked why a higher bail had not been set, he replied that it was a strategic decision to not bother judges overnight.
“You have the option of trying to do what is often a midnight or three o’clock in the morning telephonic appeal to a municipal court judge,” said DA Krasner. “The unfortunate reality of this is that some, but not all of these judges, don’t want you calling them in the middle of the night. And if you do, they lower the bail. They don’t raise it, they don’t leave it. They lower it. So it is always a complex, strategic decision.”
Marty O’Rourke, a spokesperson for the courts, said in response:
“With all due respect, the DA and his staff know there are assigned Municipal and Commons Pleas Court judges on call 24/7 and prepared at any hour to address emergency Court matters. In light of this truth, the DA’s comments are appallingly disrespectful and a sad attempt on his part to find a scapegoat for his own failings on this matter.”
According to the website crimetimelines.com, in March 2025, Keon also fled from a traffic stop after being pulled over by police. He was charged with reckless driving and fleeing police. He apparently also ran from police in a separate incident in June 2025.
Keon was also charged on October 2, 2025 for driving without a license.
Police said that Keon’s record and behavior showed a concerning pattern and asked any additional victims to come forward.
“Anyone that may have been involved with this individual or anyone that may know this individual, please at this point in time make that phone call,” Philadelphia Police 1st Deputy Commissioner John Stanford said.
“If you have been a victim of any crime regarding this individual, we want you to understand that now is the time to make that phone call and let us know.”
On October 18, police received a ‘very specific’ anonymous tip regarding the whereabouts of Kada’s remains. Officers went back to a wooded area near the abandoned middle school at around 10am.
There, they discovered female human remains in a shallow grave.
First Deputy Commissioner John Stanford made this statement regarding Kada’s family being informed of the discovery.
“We have been in communication with her family as to this process and in the fact that we have recovered a human being,” he said.
On October 19, the remains were confirmed to belong to Kada through DNA testing.
The DA’s office charged Keon with new offenses on October 20, including arson, causing catastrophe, conspiracy, and tampering with evidence.
On October 22, the Philadelphia Medical Examiner confirmed that Kada’s death was ruled a homicide. Her cause of death was confirmed to have been a gunshot to the head. Her date of death was listed as October 18, 2025 which is the date that her body was found, but police have said they believe that she was murdered shortly after she disappeared on October 4.
After that announcement, Keon was charged with murder and abuse of a corpse.
Police have been investigating if Keon worked with an accomplice as a second person was allegedly seen moving the body from the vehicle.
According to CBS, a tipster gave specific information about the location of Kada’s body.
Prosecutors said the identity of the tipster is not known, but their involvement is under investigation.
Keon is due back in court either on November 3 or November 10 – sources vary.
After Kada was recovered, her family released this statement:
“Today, we’ll say her name tomorrow, we’ll say her name, and forever, we will say her name. It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved daughter, Kada Scott.
We kindly ask for space and privacy at this time, as we process the heartbreaking events of the past few weeks.
Our hearts are shattered, yet we are deeply grateful for the outpouring of love, support, and prayers from people across the nation and around the world. Please continue to keep us in our in prayer as we navigate this unimaginable loss.
Our hearts are broken beyond measure. We are profoundly thankful to every person who share Kada’s story, joined the search efforts, prayed with us, and stood by our family during this devastating time.Your compassion, love, and strength have carried us when we cannot carry ourselves.
Kada was deeply, deeply loved. Her light, kindness, and beautiful spirit will forever remain in our hearts.
We also wish to extend our hearts for gratitude to Mayor Cherelle Parker, the Philadelphia Police Department, all first responders, local volunteers, community organizations, and media outlets, as well as everyone who worked tirelessly to help find our daughter.
Although the outcome is one no parent should ever have to face, we remain thankful for the unity, leadership, and love that surrounded us through it all.
As we continue to grieve, our family now seeks justice for Kada. We place our full trust in the Philadelphia Police Department, and the Philadelphia District’s Attorney’s Office to ensure that the truth is revealed and that those responsible are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.
Please honor Kada’s memory by showing kindness and care to one another, just as she did every day of her life.”
SOURCE LIST
https://people.com/kada-scott-text-kidnap-me-now-11835997
https://whyy.org/articles/kada-scott-death-cause-philadelphia-medical-examiner/amp
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kada-scott-788736232
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/remains-found-missing-woman-kada-scott-rcna238443
https://crimetimelines.com/kada-scott-case-file
https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/kada-scott-missing-philadelphia-keon-king-new-charges
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