The ongoing investigation into the disappearance of 23-year-old beauty queen, Kada Scott, took a grim turn when Philadelphia police discovered human remains in a shallow grave behind a closed middle school. The remains, suspected to be Scott’s, were found on the premises of the now-defunct Ada H. Lewis Middle School in East Germantown on Saturday morning. This discovery was made following an anonymous tip-off received the previous night.
The search operation led investigators to a shallow grave on the property, which also includes a large parking lot and a heavily wooded area. The area separates the former middle school, which was closed in 2008, from the still-operational Parkway Northwest High School. The search team had to clear away debris and brush to uncover fresh soil and a peculiar odor.
A member of the search team described the scene to local media, recounting the discovery of fresh dirt under a board and a strange smell emanating from the ground. The police are yet to confirm the identity of the remains as they await an official report from the medical examiner’s office.
Scott, who represented Philadelphia Township in the Miss Pennsylvania USA Beauty Pageant this year, disappeared after leaving her job at The Terrace assisted living facility in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood around 9:30 p.m. on October 4. The closed school’s campus is located approximately two and a half miles southeast of Scott’s workplace. It is believed that she met with an individual after leaving her job before all communication ceased.
Earlier in the week, police were led to the abandoned school where they found a 1999 Toyota Camry, believed to be the car Scott was in on the night she vanished. The car had sustained significant front-end damage, and items belonging to Scott, including her phone case and debit card, were found nearby.
Last week, police arrested 21-year-old Keon King and charged him with kidnapping for ransom, false imprisonment, stalking, recklessly endangering another person, and tampering with evidence, as per court records. However, as of Sunday morning, King has not been charged in connection with Scott’s death. King had previously faced kidnapping charges in a separate incident earlier this year, where he allegedly stalked and abducted a woman.
The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office admitted to their error in allowing the charges to be withdrawn from the initial case against King. The charges were refiled following King’s arrest in connection with Scott’s disappearance. King, who was out on bail at the time of his arrest, is currently being held on a $2.5 million bail for the kidnapping charges.