Human remains found behind abandoned school during search for Kada Scott, Philadelphia police say

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Human remains have been found during the search for missing Philadelphia woman Kada Scott, police said Saturday.

The discovery was made behind an abandoned school near the Awbury Arboretum in Germantown, an area that was the subject of an intensive search Wednesday.

First Deputy Commissioner John Stanford said a “very specific” anonymous tip came in overnight and officers returned to the scene around 10am.

The remains, which Stanford said appeared to be those of a woman, were found in a shallow grave in a heavily wooded area.

The remains were removed from the scene late in the afternoon. The remains are now being processed by the medical examiner’s office, which will also be responsible for identifying the person found.

Stanford said investigators have been in contact with Scott’s family.

“We are in communication with his family about this process and the fact that we have recovered a human being,” he said.

Stanford urged the public to continue to come forward with information related to this case by calling 215-686-TIPS (8477).

Sources say police found physical evidence at the scene during Wednesday’s search, including Scott’s debit card and a phone case.

Police said information poured in after announcing the arrest of Keon King, 21, of Southwest Philadelphia, who authorities said was the last person in contact with Scott.

King was arrested and charged with kidnapping and other crimes in connection with Scott’s disappearance.

RELATED: Chilling Video Surfaces Amid Search for Missing Philadelphia Woman Kada Scott

Police are still investigating how King and Scott knew each other, but believe the two men came into contact a few days before the disappearance.

Before her disappearance, Scott had told people that she was being harassed, but it is unclear if King was the person who allegedly harassed her.

Scott disappeared on the night of Saturday, October 4, after leaving his workplace, an assisted living facility in Chestnut Hill.

King is being held on $2.5 million bail.

Charges refiled in earlier similar case

King also faces charges in what authorities say is a similar case from earlier this year, in which a woman was allegedly kidnapped and strangled but survived.

Those charges were dropped when the accuser failed to appear in court, but will now be refiled, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office said.

In the first case, the prosecutor said King kidnapped a woman in front of her house, “threw her in his car, assaulted her and finally let her out.”

Prosecutor Larry Krasner addressed the case at a news conference Friday, saying his office could have done more.

“We could have done better in this area. A really sophisticated approach to the case would have been to try to integrate everything with video evidence,” he said.

The incident was captured in part in a viral video. Investigators say it shows King looking through and banging on the windows while a person inside shouts at him to call the police and leave.

Krasner noted that King was out on bail as the reason the victim did not show up in court.

“The reason they were afraid he was going to come out the same door they went into the courthouse right after they testified against him was because he was out on bail,” Krasner said.

King was able to post 10 percent of the $200,000 bail when he was first arrested for kidnapping.

When asked why the DA’s office didn’t ask for a higher bond, Krasner said it was a strategic decision not to upset the judges overnight.

“You have the opportunity to try to make what is often a phone call at midnight or three in the morning to a municipal court judge,” Krasner said. “The sad reality is that some judges, but not all, don’t want you to call 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’s always a complex and strategic decision.”

Courts spokesman Marty O’Rourke said in response:

“With all due respect, the Prosecutor and his staff know that Municipal and Common Pleas Court judges are available 24/7 and ready at all hours to handle emergency matters before the Court. In light of this truth, the Prosecutor’s comments are woefully disrespectful and a sad attempt on his part to find a scapegoat for his own failures in this case.”