PA PA - Kada Scott, 23, left work early, car found in work parking lot, phone is off, Philadelphia Oct. 4, 2025.

[realanastasia]

DNA testing indicates remains are those of Kada Scott​

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- DNA testing strongly indicates the human remains found behind a vacant school Saturday are those of missing Philadelphia woman Kada Scott, sources tell Action News. The sources said Sunday that DNA from the remains match Scott's parents.

WPVI News Kada Scott DNA Testing

Uh oh, does this suggest that the remains located at the school were not in a state where any other type of ID was possible?

Or is the DNA testing just a routine means of confirming the identity of the deceased, even if their mortal remains are preserved enough that visual ID or fingerprinting/dental records can be reasonably used for identity verification?

Off-topic: SENDING A BIG, HEARTFELT THANK YOU to the very kind and generous individual who gifted me with a Guardian membership—I am so, so grateful (I really longed for one, but I just couldn’t financially swing it, so you can just imagine my surprise and delight when I got the notification)! Thanks a million to you, anonymous benefactor!

 

[Ghostwheel]

Yes, I think LE knew from the very start.

Still, I wonder if he lured her out or did she leave the building for some reason and he was laying in wait? Did he follow her to work?

jmopinion

If she had her purse (iirc it was said she took her belongings when she left), then she meant to be gone, unless heading for a rest room break and went out to get something from her car. Maybe told someone needed her help, maybe some other reason, but you don't carry all your belongings (normally, unless there was no place to lock it up) to just run to your car or run to get something from someone, etc, imo.

I have the feeling King contacted her and whatever he said (coercion, threat to family, threat to car, something else sounding urgent but not threatening if not on bad terms at the time) made her rush out, meaning to leave. That leaves getting grabbed on the way to the car as a good possibility.

I am just so angry this happened to yet another young person.

 

[Sillybilly]

Please Report when there is an official announcement (i.e. LE, Coroner, ME) if/when this body has been definitely identified as Kada.

Thank you.

(PS: I know ... y'all think we're picky but thems the rules for a reason.)

 

[DS2021]

Uh oh, does this suggest that the remains located at the school were not in a state where any other type of ID was possible?

They may have went with dna because its more conclusive. Plus it seems they knew they could get the comparison done quickly

 

[snooptroop88]

If she had her purse (iirc it was said she took her belongings when she left), then she meant to be gone, unless heading for a rest room break and went out to get something from her car. Maybe told someone needed her help, maybe some other reason, but you don't carry all your belongings (normally, unless there was no place to lock it up) to just run to your car or run to get something from someone, etc, imo.

I have the feeling King contacted her and whatever he said (coercion, threat to family, threat to car, something else sounding urgent but not threatening if not on bad terms at the time) made her rush out, meaning to leave. That leaves getting grabbed on the way to the car as a good possibility.

I am just so angry this happened to yet another young person.

Totally agreed on this. I tend to think there's a very weak association between the two, but can't be sure. Whatever it was, I think he probably threatened to make a scene at work and she wants to keep her job. There doesn't need to be a "strong" connection for him to make a scene, and it's the type of thing that might make any person tend to just fly right out the door to defuse the situation, unawware of what this person's up to or what this particular person's capable of. This sweet young woman, it's completely tragic.

 

[realanastasia]

DNA confirms police found the body of Kada Scott, sources say, and new details emerge on what led police to her corpse

It’s not yet clear how Kada Scott died, but a law enforcement source said police believe she was likely killed within 30 minutes of leaving her workplace the night she disappeared.

www.inquirer.com

I can’t quote directly due to TOS, but this news report says police believe Kada was KIDNAPPED and murdered within 30 minutes of leaving her workplace.

She had been texting with King that night, and left work to meet him.

The tip that led police to return to a particular area near the abandoned school came in on Friday and said “GO BACK YOU MISSED HER.”

Police subsequently located the gravesite by chance—an investigator noticed the ground they were walking on had an unusually spongy/soft feeling, so they excavated and found her remains.

Phone/device tracking showed Kada’s and the murderer’s phones were travelng together after she left work, and the parking lot of the Awbury Arboretum (across the street from the abandoned school) was the last location from which signals were transmitted from the Apple watch Kada wore to work. They have lots of video to substantiate that King was responsible for Kada’s abduction and murder.

 

[Chimera]

Still want to know the motive.
Did Kada represent something the killer could never have and he was resentful ?
Idk, thinking out loud.

 

[keek]

DNA confirms police found the body of Kada Scott, sources say, and new details emerge on what led police to her corpse

It’s not yet clear how Kada Scott died, but a law enforcement source said police believe she was likely killed within 30 minutes of leaving her workplace the night she disappeared.

www.inquirer.com

I can’t quote directly due to TOS, but this news report says police believe Kada was KIDNAPPED and murdered within 30 minutes of leaving her workplace.

The tip that led police to return to a particular area near the abandoned school came in on Friday and said “GO BACK YOU MISSED HER.”

Police subsequently located the gravesite by chance—an investigator noticed the ground they were walking on had an unusually spongy/soft feeling, so they excavated and found her remains.

Phone/device tracking showed Kada’s and the murderer’s phones were travelng together after she left work, and parking lot of the Awbury Arboretum was the last location from which signals were transmitted from the Apple watch Kada wore to work. They have lots of video to substantiate that King was responsible for Kada’s abduction and murder.

Wow. I wonder if there was a witness who did not want to be known, but did the right thing. I am meaning perhaps an unhoused person or persons. It was a very large abandoned school building where it would def. attract people wanting shelter for whatever reasons. They may of seen while hiding, what had happened, buried at the least. IMO

 

[ph!sh]

DNA confirms police found the body of Kada Scott, sources say, and new details emerge on what led police to her corpse

It’s not yet clear how Kada Scott died, but a law enforcement source said police believe she was likely killed within 30 minutes of leaving her workplace the night she disappeared.

www.inquirer.com

I can’t quote directly due to TOS, but this news report says police believe Kada KIDNAPPED and murdered within 30 minutes of leaving her workplace. The tip that led police to return to a particular area near the abandoned school said “GO BACK YOU MISSED HER.”

Other new info here:
- DNA confirmation it is Kada
- Cell phone data placed King near her workplace the night she disappeared
- An anonymous tip came in Friday to search along the fence dividing the school from the recreation center
- The area had been searched before
- Several anonymous tips that grew increasingly detailed, new location data from Scott’s Apple Watch, and new footage helped them locate her
- The new footage showed King pulling into the Awbury Arboretum parking lot around 10:30 PM on 10/4 in a stolen Hyundai Accent
- King left it there for two days, then returned to retrieve and move what they believe was Scott’s body
- The next day the car was set on fire on the 7400 block of Ogontz Avenue; cell phone data placed King there
- Police no longer believe the recovered Toyota Camry was used in the crime

 

[bdwong]

Other new info here:
- DNA confirmation it is Kada
- Cell phone data placed King near her workplace the night she disappeared
- An anonymous tip came in Friday to search along the fence dividing the school from the recreation center
- The area had been searched before
- Several anonymous tips that grew increasingly detailed, new location data from Scott’s Apple Watch, and new footage helped them locate her
- The new footage showed King pulling into the Awbury Arboretum parking lot around 10:30 PM on 10/4 in a stolen Hyundai Accent
- King left it there for two days, then returned to retrieve and move what they believe was Scott’s body
- The next day the car was set on fire on the 7400 block of Ogontz Avenue; cell phone data placed King there
- Police no longer believe the recovered Toyota Camry was used in the crime

He pulled into the Awbury recreation center*** parking lot at 10:30. Just wanted to correct you because they are two different locations. Right near each other, but different places

 

[Ghostwheel]

He pulled into the Awbury recreation center*** parking lot at 10:30. Just wanted to correct you because they are two different locations. Right near each other, but different places

Specifically, the Awbury Recreation center is next to Ada H. Lewis Middle School, not the Arboretum

Philadelphia, PA 19138 · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

maps.app.goo.gl

 

[bdwong]

Other new info here:
- DNA confirmation it is Kada
- Cell phone data placed King near her workplace the night she disappeared
- An anonymous tip came in Friday to search along the fence dividing the school from the recreation center
- The area had been searched before
- Several anonymous tips that grew increasingly detailed, new location data from Scott’s Apple Watch, and new footage helped them locate her
- The new footage showed King pulling into the Awbury Arboretum parking lot around 10:30 PM on 10/4 in a stolen Hyundai Accent
- King left it there for two days, then returned to retrieve and move what they believe was Scott’s body
- The next day the car was set on fire on the 7400 block of Ogontz Avenue; cell phone data placed King there
- Police no longer believe the recovered Toyota Camry was used in the crime

I can’t believe it took them 2 weeks to realize that she had an Apple Watch on. Or even that they didn’t pull surveillance for that rec center or surrounding areas of awbury arboretum earlier

 

[Ladyotm]

Still want to know the motive.
Did Kada represent something the killer could never have and he was resentful ?
Idk, thinking out loud.

Likely. I imagine a scenario where he says he will take her to pick up food for "lunch" later at work. She grabs her bag and runs out for what she believes will be a quick 15 minutes. Amd he wants something she's not willing to give and he kills her.
The fact that they associated him with several phones...makes me question was he the stalker as well.

 

[bdwong]

Specifically, the Awbury Recreation center is next to Ada H. Lewis Middle School, not the Arboretum

Philadelphia, PA 19138 · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

maps.app.goo.gl

Yep. What’s also interesting to me is the inquirer mentions in their Instagram post that the tip specifically mentioned looking along an old wooden fence that borders the rec center and the school. But it appeared that they located her remains on the other side of the parking lot in the woods

Purple - where it appeared she was found or brought out of
Blue - Ada Lewis school building
Red - awbury rec center and its parking lot. There is some more of it to the right. To my knowledge the football field is a part of king high school behind the rec center

 

[Ghostwheel]

I can’t believe it took them 2 weeks to realize that she had an Apple Watch on. Or even that they didn’t pull surveillance for that rec center or surrounding areas of awbury arboretum earlier

I don't think it did. The apple watch indicated Awbury recreation center, they found evidence at the school right next door. The phones indicated Kada and King traveling together to the rec center. And it may have taken this long to get the surveillance video or get through it once they got the phone data. They already had the surveillance from the arboretum. I do think they were not well versed in searching for fresh graves amongst the trees. That's a hard one, that they missed that. What if the tipster hadn't contacted them? It's not a good look.

 

[bdwong]

I don't think it did. The apple watch indicated Awbury recreation center, they found evidence at the school right next door. The phones indicated Kada and King traveling together to the rec center. And it may have taken this long to get the surveillance video or get through it once they got the phone data. They already had the surveillance from the arboretum. I do think they were not well versed in searching for fresh graves amongst the trees. That's a hard one, that they missed that. What if the tipster hadn't contacted them? It's not a good look.

In the inquirer article it said that late last week they learned that Kada had worn an Apple Watch to work and then they got the pinpoint location to awbury recreation center. And then Friday night they got the surveillance video from awbury rec. I even wonder if the boyfriend posting the pics from their date sparked them realizing, because it is clearly visible there.