The Night Kada Disappeared
On October 4, 2025, 23-year-old Kada Scott went to work at The Terrace at Chestnut Hill, a senior living facility in northwest Philadelphia.
Her overnight shift was normally scheduled to run from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m.
But Kada never completed that shift.
According to investigators, she left the facility at around 10 p.m. and did not return.
Her family quickly realized something was wrong. Kada’s mother had expected her to come home, and there was no indication that she had planned to disappear.
By the following day, October 5, her family reported her missing.
The Philadelphia Police Department began searching for her.
A Disappearance With Almost No Digital Trace
Kada’s car was still at her workplace.
The facility did not have surveillance cameras that could immediately show investigators what had happened inside or outside the building, making the early stages of the investigation especially difficult.
Her phone eventually went silent.
There was also no social-media activity or communication with friends and family.
That behavior was completely out of character, according to those who knew her.
In the days before she disappeared, Kada had also told people close to her that an unidentified person had been repeatedly harassing her by telephone.
Investigators began trying to determine who that person was and whether the harassment had anything to do with her disappearance.
Police later learned that Kada had been communicating with a number believed to belong to Keon King. Investigators say the two arranged to meet outside her workplace that night.
The Search Moves Into East Germantown
As detectives worked through phone records, surveillance footage, and tips, their attention eventually turned toward areas in East Germantown.
On October 10, investigators searched Awbury Arboretum after receiving information that brought them to the area.
At the time, however, nothing that immediately explained Kada’s disappearance was found there.
The search continued.
Then investigators uncovered additional information that would change the direction of the case.
Keon King, 21, was taken into custody on October 14 and charged in connection with Kada’s disappearance. Police said evidence placed him in contact with Kada around the time she vanished.
Investigators also began looking for a vehicle connected to him.
The investigation eventually developed a much more detailed timeline involving surveillance footage and cellphone-location data. Authorities said King had been the last person in contact with Kada and that his movements after her disappearance were significant to the investigation.
A Body Found in a Shallow Grave
On October 18, investigators returned to an area near the abandoned Ada H. H. Lewis Middle School in East Germantown.
A shallow grave was discovered in the woods.
Human remains were recovered.
At first, authorities said the remains were believed to be Kada’s. DNA testing later confirmed the identification.
The discovery brought the search for Kada to a devastating end.
But investigators still had to determine exactly how she died.
The Medical Examiner’s Office subsequently ruled her death a homicide and determined that she had been shot in the head.
The Investigation Becomes a Murder Case
Following the medical examiner’s findings, prosecutors charged King with murder along with additional offenses, including abuse of a corpse, robbery, theft, and evidence-tampering charges. Prosecutors have alleged that King kidnapped and killed Kada and then helped conceal her body.
Investigators have also said they believe other people may have helped move or conceal Kada’s body after her death.
That part of the investigation has continued as authorities work to determine who else, if anyone, was involved.
Court proceedings have since revealed additional evidence prosecutors say connects King to Kada’s final movements, including cellphone data and surveillance footage. In a February 2026 preliminary hearing, investigators described evidence they said linked King to the location where Kada was ultimately found.
The allegations against King remain matters for the court to determine.
A Family Left Without the Ending They Wanted
Kada’s disappearance lasted roughly two weeks.
During that time, her family and members of the Philadelphia community searched and hoped for the one outcome everyone wanted—that she would somehow be found alive.
Instead, investigators eventually discovered her body hidden in a shallow grave.
Kada was only 23 years old.
She had gone to work on October 4, 2025.
She walked out of the building that night.
And she never came home.
Her disappearance began with almost no answers: no phone activity, no messages to her family, and no obvious explanation for why she would suddenly leave her life behind.
The investigation has since produced a far more detailed picture of her final hours, but the criminal case is still ongoing.
For Kada’s family, the search for her ended when her remains were found.
The search for justice did not.
This story is based on publicly available information and reported facts. It has been independently written and presented for informational purposes. Images, if any, belong to their respective owners.