The parents of Kada Scott said Monday they are heartbroken by the death of their daughter, whose body was found buried at a shuttered school in East Germantown on Saturday.
"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," Scott's parents said in a statement read at a press update on the case.
Keon King, the 21-year-old man charged with kidnapping Scott on Oct. 4, is now also facing arson and related charges for allegedly burning a stolen Hyundai Accent used in the abduction, prosecutors said.
Surveillance footage shows King parking a stolen Hyundai Accent in a lot to Awbury Recreation Center, which borders Ada H.H. Middle School, around 10:30 p.m. on Oct 4. — the night Scott was last seen, the Inquirer reported Sunday. He allegedly left the the car there, but returned two days later to retrieve Scott's body. He set fire to the car near the 7400 block of Ogontz Avenue the next day, investigators said.
Investigators returned to the school, near Awbury Arboretum, on Friday after receiving an anonymous tip. They had searched the area two days earlier and found Scott's debit card and phone case. Her body was found in a shallow grave along a wooden fence that separates the school from the recreation center. Investigators found her remains with the help of information from her Apple Watch. DNA testing matched them to Scott's parents.
Scott, 23, of East Mount Airy, disappeared Oct. 4, when she reported for work at a Chestnut Hill assisted living facility around 9:45 p.m. Her car was found in the parking lot, but she never finished her shift.
King is believed to be the last person who had contact with her, although police have not shared how he knew her. On Tuesday, he was arrested and charged with kidnapping and reckless endangerment.
In April, King was arrested and charged for allegedly kidnapping and strangling another woman. It was the second time he was taken into custody this year due to an incident involving the woman. But the charges were dropped after the alleged victim and eyewitnesses did not appear in court on two occasions. The charges were refiled after Scott's disappearance.
TikTok videos tied to the earlier case against King allegedly show him approaching the woman's house in January and looking inside while she urges him to go away and instructs someone to call police.
On Friday, District Attorney Larry Krasner, who is running for his third term against Republican Pat Dugan in November's general election, blamed King's release on the cash bail system. He said King had the cash on hand to pay for his release "almost immediately." Krasner said that can make it intimidating for witnesses to appear in court, because they know the defendant is not in custody.
Krasner said prosecutors could have moved forward with the case by relying on TikTok videos that allegedly show King approaching the woman's house in January and looking inside while she says to call police and urges him to go away. But he called that a "sophisticated approach" that is "not usually an easy thing to do.
King remains in custody with bail set at 10% of $2.5 million.