BODY FOUND IN SEARCH FOR MISS USA HOPEFUL KADA SCOTT, IS THERE AN ACCOMPLICE?

Summary

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Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

Episode: BODY FOUND IN SEARCH FOR MISS USA HOPEFUL KADA SCOTT, IS THERE AN ACCOMPLICE?
Date: October 21, 2025

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Overview

In this gripping episode, Nancy Grace and her panel of experts dissect the heartbreaking and mysterious case of Kada Scott, a Miss USA hopeful found murdered and buried behind an abandoned Philadelphia middle school. The episode explores the frantic search for Kada, the discovery of her body, the persistent anonymous tipster, the possibility of an accomplice, investigative setbacks, failures in the criminal justice system, and the chilling psychology behind the crime.

Nancy Grace’s signature style—direct, urgent, and passionate—permeates the discussion as she presses for accountability, challenges her expert panel, and highlights the emotional devastation experienced by Kada's family and the broader community.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Search and Discovery of Kada Scott’s Body

• The Critical Anonymous Tip:

  • The tipster called 911 with unusually precise directions, insisting police search an exact spot behind the abandoned Ada Lewis Scott Middle School. When nothing was found at first, the tipster followed up with more details via email, urging officers to search again.
  • "That tipster thing, emails, I'm told, from sources, emails, go back, you have to look again." – Joe Holden (02:23)

• Discovery of the Gravesite:

  • Officers found disturbed earth, freshly covered by a board, behind the school in a wooded area adjacent to a recreation center.
  • As officers uncovered the grave with their hands, they were overcome by the stench and presence of maggots, confirming a decomposing body was present.
  • “I've actually seen a rookie cop start vomiting from the smell alone.” – Nancy Grace (04:19)

• Identification:

  • DNA confirmation established the remains as those of Kada Scott.
  • "It has been confirmed that these are the human remains of Kada Scott and that has been confirmed by DNA." – Panelist (05:01)

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2. Timeline of Events

• Lead-up to the Crime:

  • Kada was reported missing on October 4th, minutes after starting her shift at an assisted living facility in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia.
  • Within 20 minutes of leaving her workplace, police believe she was murdered.
  • "Police are telling us 20 minutes. They're very guarded on details of how they know that…" – Joe Holden (07:13)

• Vehicle Movements and Evidence:

  • Two cars are central: a stolen black 2008 Hyundai Accent (taken Oct 3) and a Toyota.
  • Surveillance at the rec center shows both vehicles present, implying multiple people may have been involved.

• Destruction of Key Evidence:

  • The Hyundai Accent was set ablaze and compacted at a junkyard, destroying potential evidence.
  • “It was stolen on October 3rd... found burning on the street October 7th... There is no valuable DNA or evidence that can be retrieved from that car because it all burned.” – Joe Holden (36:12)

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3. Investigative Analysis and Theories

• Tipster’s Motivation & Identity:

  • The tipster’s detailed insider knowledge fuels speculation: Are they a remorseful accomplice, family, or a member of the perpetrator’s circle seeking the reward?
  • Investigators are working to trace the tip email—distinct from typical untraceable tips.
  • "This is a very simple process for law enforcement... they get a subpoena to the ISP... unmask the location." – Brian Fitzgibbons (31:29)

• Accomplice Possibility:

  • Video, car logistics, and timing support the belief that another individual participated, particularly after the murder, possibly helping with the body or burning the car.
  • “He wasn't driving both of them. Or was he? Who do the two cars belong to?... there's an accomplice.” – Nancy Grace (26:32)

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4. Failures and Accountability in the Justice System

• Perpetrator’s Criminal History:

  • Suspect Keon King has a lengthy criminal record involving similar violence against women, including strangulation and burglary. Multiple cases were dropped when victims, terrified, failed to appear.
  • Both prosecutors and judges are faulted for missed opportunities to remove King from the streets.
  • “There is as exactly you described.... This is a mistake that should terrify any victim of domestic violence.” – Mark Tate (22:52)

• Could the Murder Have Been Prevented?

  • Panelists debate “woulda, coulda, shoulda,” with multiple points of failure in pursuing past charges and bond settings.

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5. Forensic Details and Cause of Death

• Shallow Grave Indicators:

  • Detecting disturbed earth and using ground-penetrating technologies, though simply noticing different soil textures is often enough.
  • “You can see with the naked eye where the soil looks different from everywhere else.” – Nancy Grace (14:30)

• Role of Entomology:

  • The presence and development stage of maggots help estimate time of death, and possible toxicological clues are recoverable from insect larvae.
  • “If you're able to characterize what stage of development the maggot is at, you may have a good idea of how long that body was perhaps present in the ground.” – Dr. Thomas Coyne (16:00)

• Challenges in Determining Cause of Death:

  • Decomposition may have destroyed soft tissues, complicating identification of strangulation marks.
  • “The only thing you hope for is that...they didn't have sufficient evidence to determine asphyxiation.” – Dr. Coyne (42:50)

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6. The Psychology and Morality Behind the Crime

• Mindset of the Perpetrator and Any Accomplices:

  • Panel psychologists discuss the psychopathy, sociopathy, and possible coercive control among those involved.
  • “Whoever is involved...has a similar psychopathy...So the psychopathy is similar in that you're dealing with folks that are sociopathic.” – Dr. Jerry Lynn Utter (32:46)

• Breaking Silence for Reward:

  • The timing of the tip coincides suspiciously with an increased reward, suggesting self-interest (not remorse) may have been the motivator.
  • “Translation: they wanted that $10,000 reward.” – Nancy Grace (29:26)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the tipster’s precision:
  • "They didn't find Kada. So that tipster thing, emails... go back, you have to look again." – Joe Holden (02:23)
• On the trauma of police discovery:
  • "I’ve actually seen a rookie cop start vomiting from the smell alone." – Nancy Grace (04:19)
• On system accountability:
  • “This is a mistake that should terrify any victim of domestic violence.” – Mark Tate (22:52)
• On the likelihood of an accomplice’s identity:
  • "Somebody, in my opinion, from my experience, assisted in disposing of this body. And I'm afraid that they maybe felt guilty and want to try to get out of it in some fashion." – Mark Tate (28:56)
• On the chilling psychology:
  • “They probably didn’t really see Ms. Scott much as a human being.” – Dr. Jerry Lynn Utter (32:46)
• On the failures leading to tragedy:
  • “This guy should have already been in jail. Prosecutors dropped the ball.” – Nancy Grace (11:17)
• A sister’s anguish:
  • “Kada was deeply loved. Her light, kindness, and beautiful spirit will forever remain in our hearts. Our family now seeks justice for Kada.” – Family Statement (34:30)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Initial discovery and tip details: [00:56–03:51]
• Panel discusses timeline and forensic scene: [05:01–08:06]
• Details on video and phone evidence: [12:17–14:58], [25:07–28:14], [38:08–40:42]
• Failures in justice system, accountability debate: [18:21–23:19]
• Discussion on psychology of accomplices: [32:46–33:59]
• Forensic details—entomology and COD challenges: [16:00–17:46], [41:23–44:10]
• Speculation on tipster motives: [28:14–30:27]
• Family statement and call for justice: [34:30–34:42]

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Conclusion

Nancy Grace and her panel deliver a raw, detailed, and emotional overview of the murder of Kada Scott, balancing hard investigative facts, expert forensic insights, and impassioned demands for justice. The episode casts a harsh light on systemic failures, suggests possible accomplices, and leaves listeners with a sense of lingering outrage, sorrow, and determination to see justice done—for Kada, her family, and all victims failed by institutions meant to protect them.

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Transcript

[A]

This is an I Heart podcast, Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Human remains found in the search for a Miss USA hopeful, Kada Scott. And tonight, a bombshell. Is there an accomplice who thought it would be a great idea to bury her body behind an abandoned middle school or even worse, kill her? I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. I want to thank you for being with us.

[B]

It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved daughter, Kayda Scott. Our hearts are shattered. Today we'll say her name. Tomorrow we'll say her name. And forever we will say her name.

[A]

In the last hours, we learn human remains found behind that abandoned middle school, the Ada Lewis Scott Middle School. Listen to what we've learned based on.

[C]

A tip that came in late last night, through the night. Investigators began the process of following up on that tip. And the tip was very specific. That led us back to this location here today.

[B]

We received a tip to go to the ADA Lewis Middle School. Investigators went, did a thorough search. Essentially, what the new tip was this weekend was go back. It was, go back, she's there, look again. And they did give more specific details in terms of where to look. And ultimately, that is what led us to her.

[A]

Wow, that's some tip that from our friends at ABC6 joining me right now on All Star panel. But first, I want to go to the chief investigative reporter and anchor at CBS News Philadelphia who has been investigating this case right along with the police from the very beginning, Joe Holden. Joe, that was some tip that actually called into police anonymously, told them where to look, and then when they didn't find anything the first time, called back and said, go back. What were they watching the police or were they watching the news to know there had been no announcement? That's bizarre.

[D]

Check all those boxes, because we know that from police and prosecutors, this was a persistent tipster. They first called 911 last week to say, you better look at that middle school property. And then police come, they go, they have nothing. And so let me, let me, let me stop that right there. They do find a cell phone case, they find a bank card, and they find an iPad case and possibly some other personal evidence. Yet they didn't find Kada. So that tipster thing, emails, I'm told, from sources, emails, go back, you have to look again. You have to look more specific specifically in this location. And we learned that yesterday from, from prosecutors. So that happens. They go back, they find her in a shallow grave.

[A]

Wow. Joe Holden Fitzgibbon is going to have a field day with tracking down that emailer. But let me go back to Joe Holden. An email like that can't be traced. I'm dying to find out that who called 911 and who was watching so carefully that they knew police left without finding the human remains.

[C]

Listen, that tip today led us back to this area behind the school where it's a wooded area. I don't know if any of you have been back there, but it's a wooded area that goes beyond the school.

[A]

Investigators returned to Ada Lewis Middle School.

[E]

On a very specific anonymous tip to.

[A]

Look in a heavily wooded area separating the old closed school from a recreation center. Investigators clear an area of brush and debris uncovering freshly disturbed earth under a board. Digging with their bare hands, officers are hit with a strange smell and find maggots crawling through the dirt.

[E]

The area is a shallow grave holding the decomposing remains.

[A]

Well, that's certainly putting it mildly, a strange smell because I'm telling you, once you go to a murder scene and you smell a decomposing body, a human body, you'll never forget it, even the smell alone. I've actually seen a rookie cop start vomiting from the smell alone. That video you saw is from our friends at abc and there's more.

[C]

We begin to go back into that area where we will locate a shallow grave after being able to remove some of the debris back there, able to locate the body of of a human being.

[F]

It has been confirmed that these are the human remains of Katie Scott and that has been confirmed by DNA.

[A]

To Joe Holden. Joining us, chief investigative reporter and anchor, CBS News Philly. That video from our friends at ABC6, Joe Holden. There's just so much to dissect and this is what you have to do when you are investigating a case or preparing for trial. You have to take each line. I'm sure you do this in your investigative work and you to analyze each and every fact. For instance, that the tipster not only called 911 but obviously carefully watching the scene says oh my stars, they didn't find her. And emails back who is this person number one, but Joe Holden. Can you imagine the chaos at the scene when the police are overcome and they start clawing at the dirt with their bare hands.

[D]

So they had to excavate the entire area that they eventually determined to be the final resting place, if you will, or you know, temporary resting place for the beautiful Kate of Scott there. Nancy, I will provide a timeline here that we learned we nailed down yesterday. She is reported missing October 4, 20 some minutes into her shift. And then 20 minutes later, police sources believe that is when she dies. So that is October 4th. That is days before a news conference announcing that they're asking the public for help. And of course, that is now this huge.

[A]

What did you say 20 minutes later? What?

[D]

Repeat, 20 minutes after they say she leaves work is when they believe she dies. She is alive for only 20 minutes after she left the place that she works at in Chestnut Hill in the city of Philadelphia.

[A]

Holden, What? I don't understand. I hear you, but I don't understand what you're saying. She was dead within 20 minutes after taking her away from the assisted living where she worked.

[G]

What?

[D]

Police are telling us 20 minutes. They're very guarded on details of how they know that we couldn't even nail down if they have surveillance video of her getting into this car, which becomes a whole other side of this story where we thought there was one car. Now there's a second car involved, and it's a 2008 black Hyundai Accent. So Keon King, the suspect in this is now utilizing two different vehicles. And it's believed he shows up to the terrace of Chestnut Hill. There, where K. Scott worked the Saturday night of October 4th. They know each other somehow, but are not giving us much detail as to how well or how long she gets into his car. And they are telling us now, according to multiple law enforcement sources, that she is alive for about a 20 minute time frame and then she dies.

[A]

The psychopathy behind that, I'm very anxious to determine why just 20 minutes in, she is murdered and actually, Joe Holden. Let me quickly go to Brian Fitzgibbons joining us. He's the director of operations, USPA Nationwide Security. He leads a team of investigators that go around the world finding missing people and getting evidence. You and I analyze the case of Madeline Soto. S O T O and video surveillance played an integral role in catching the killer. I'm wondering if this case with Katis Scott will line up with what was done in the Maddie Soto case where the perp had the victim in a vehicle and was videoed with Maddie dead in the car. She just turned 13. And he had propped her up in a seat, the passenger seat with a seatbelt on, and she was dead. And then tried to tell police that Maddie, little Maddie, 13, was actually asleep, that she dozed off on the way to school. It's possible, Fitzgibbons, it's possible that there is video of him with Kada in the car dead.

[H]

Very possible. And we're learning more information now with the introduction of this 2008 Hyundai sedan that King was driving and that authorities believe that Kata Scott, that was connected to Kata Scott's murder. So there will be more video surveillance on that video. Authorities have already pinned down King's location with his cell phone records to be associated with locations of this stolen vehicle.

[E]

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[A]

Crime stories with Nancy Grace. Back to Joe Holden joining us, chief investigative reporter and anchor, CBS News Philly on the case from the very beginning. And I don't call it a story, Joe, because this is no story. This is real. Her family devastated. I can go back on woulda, coulda, shoulda. This guy should have already been in jail. Prosecutors dropped the ball. They did not follow up on a previous case almost exactly like this one when the victim was too afraid. She was an FTA failure to appear. I'll get to that later. But I want to go back to the police officers clawing at the dirt with their bare hands. They can smell human decop. Can you imagine that scene? They all jump down on the ground and start clawing because they, they don't, I guess, have a shovel with them and suddenly they see maggots.

[D]

It's a horrible scene. It's a terrible situation. And I know just from interacting with my sources in the Philadelphia Police Department, it was a traumatic situation for many of them. Many of them went off the grid. Nancy, frankly, Saturday night, Sunday, Sunday afternoon, we couldn't reach many of the folks that we deal with regularly due to the gravity of what they discovered and to Brian Fitzgibbon's information about video and your question about do we have video? Yeah. Prosecutors are saying they have video from a nearby rec center. If you see a shot of the school building, the rec center sits directly to the right from your vantage point. So there is video, according to prosecutors, of Keon King and in this Hyundai accent arriving to the middle school and taking Kada Scott apparently onto the property. And then she is located in the back of the property. So this would be to the right of that picture you're looking for is where police have video evidence. They also tell us they have technology. They have evidence showing cellular activity of Keon King's phone in the area at the significant times of their investig.

[A]

To Brian Fitzgibbons. Many people have asked since the search for CADA started, how do you recognize a shallow grave? Wouldn't you agree that you see disturbed earth where everything looks the same, be it grass or leaves, you know, that have been there forever, that have been wet, that have been dry, that have been rained on again, and suddenly you see a disturbed area. I have always looked for a disturbed area before using, for instance, ground penetrating. Have you seen a ground penetrating device where you can see. It kind of looks like an ultrasound and you see where underneath the soil the dirt has been displayed. But you don't need a ground penetrator. You can see with the naked eye where the soil looks different from everywhere else.

[H]

Yeah, absolutely. There's ground penetrating radar, there's lidar, there's various technologies that can be used. But to the naked eye, I think what made this search complicated is that around the abandoned building, there's probably a high amount of debris, a higher amount of boards scattered around. And in this case, the reports coming in is that that disturbed earth was covered up by a large piece of wood.

[A]

Guys, you are seeing video of le law enforcement on the scene and they're discovering Kada's remains. And as Joe Holden just told us, a lot of these first responders and police went off the grid and couldn't be reached. It was just. Just too much. Dr. Thomas Coyne joining us, Chief Medical Examiner, District 2, Medical Examiner's Office, State of Florida. He is a forensic pathologist, he is a toxicologist, he is a neuropathologist and more. Dr. Coyne, I'm sure you are familiar with the area of investigation that is forensic entomology. And I bring that up because of the existence of maggots. Not blowflies, but maggots. Why do I care? Because it ages the time of death. It helps me get a time of death. Explain.

[I]

Sure. I mean, certainly from the field of entomology, we know that different species of insects arrive at a decomposing body or a dead body at varying time intervals. So you can Collect the different insect species that are found and examine their larval stage. So, for instance, with regards to maggots, it is well known how long it takes a maggot to go from an egg to a certain size larval stage, then eventually to becoming a fly. And so if you're able to characterize what stage of development the maggot is at, you may have a good idea of how long that body was perhaps present in the ground. So it helps to give a time frame of death when you're able to examine the various insect species and larva that may be present. And it also provides a good means perhaps of toxicology. You can even test those insects for drugs or poisons if you had no tissue left on the body to examine.

[A]

New York CONTROL ROOM if you could pull up the video of the prior attack caught on video. It's very hard for me to look at this beautiful girl, Dr. Coyne, and reconcile your discussion about maggots. Hold on, hold on. Look at this. How'd you like to look out your window and see him peering in? In the video, you hear the victim screaming, Call the police. Call the police. Everybody's running, everybody's moving. He's going from window to window to see how he can get in. This is one of his previous victims. Now I'm leading us up to a point. A six plus foot. There you go. Superhero jumping down. He landed in the victim's backyard and strides forward. This is from 4LCC on TikTok. So you know what? Joe Holden, this guy, he's got a rap sheet as long as my arm. Here he is. This is his either second or third attack. Very similar to the attack on Kada. She, Joe Holden didn't stand a chance. She lasted 20 minutes in the car with this predator. 20 minutes, Joe.

[D]

Yeah. And he's. He's got that rap sheet. I guess we could call it a rap sheet or we could call it actually nothing. Thin air because those cases went away. The case from November, when police say he burglarizes the home and then strangles an ex girlfriend on a bed. And that case goes before a judge or a magistrate we're still sorting out, which I believe it was a judge for preliminary hearings. And then witness and victims fail to appear. So the case is withdrawn by the district attorney's office. And then fast forward to January, where he is engaged in a similar criminal conduct, accused of kidnapping and strangling the same ex girlfriend. So now we have a case happening that's overlapping the first case. Okay. And then Charges are brought for the second one. Not until April. This is the afternoon that police allege the second incident happened. This is in January here. And so charges are brought in April. There are two hearings on the matter and the district attorney withdraws the charges. Just yesterday. They are admitting that they could have gone forward with a prosecution of this case without a witness to the crime. So right there they're conceding that they made some mistakes, they should have done things differently. But Nancy, what this has done is this has triggered an all out war of words between the DA's office and the courts in Philadelphia, with the courts telling the district Attorney's office that they should, they should be ashamed of themselves. They've been appallingly disrespectful in their descriptions of how their interaction in these criminal cases has played out. So we're still unraveling.

[A]

But brace yourself, Joe Holden, that is a load of crap. That video from 4LCC TikTok, because there's plenty of blame to go around here. Let me bring in Mark Tate, veterans trial lawyer, high profile lawyer out of the Savannah jurisdiction with the Tate Law Group and beyond. Tate, take off your defense hat. Just one moment. This is complete bs. Let's break it down for people that have not been in the criminal justice system. Number one, the da, not the judge, failed. They had a case where a woman was strangled on her bed. And in a subsequent case, and she was an fta, she has described her fear that he would get right back out and finish her off. That's why she was an fta. Failure to appear. So what? Failure to appear. That means nothing to me. That's why we, we have investigators. Go find her. That's not hard to say. Go find her. Easy. But wait a minute, Tate, there's more. There's more. Okay, because I want to hear your whole opinion. That was the DA's fault, not the judges. But then the judges pile on because they get him. The DA asked for a million dollar bond and they go, nah. And they give him a low bond. He has access to money, a lot of money, and he walks. So both of them are guilty. And I don't care how much. They're like, oh, we screwed up. Yeah, you did. Because Kate is dead. You can think about that tonight. When you try to go to sleep, it's on you. That's the truth there, Nancy.

[J]

I really do want to stress a couple of things. And I represent judges and I represented a sitting elected district attorneys, and so I am sympathetic with their position. However, here I think There is as exactly you described.

[E]

It.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[J]

No, what I'm saying.

[A]

You know what that means, right?

[J]

Advocate for my clients interest. But I also take on judges when they make mistakes. I just got one recused from Savannah's probate court last week because he should not be close to a bench. And I take on judges when they make a mistake. And I take on district attorneys when they make a mistake.

[A]

This is. This is not an infomercial for the Tate Law Group. Can we focus on this case?

[J]

What I'm saying is that judges and district attorneys should be held accountable when they make mistakes. This is a mistake that should terrify any victim of domestic violence. And the fact that, oh, another victim just walked away. They know. The tests show. The studies show that victims of domestic violence don't come to court. They frequently fail to prosecute their cases. It's in the district attorney's discretion how they go forward.

[F]

A really sophisticated approach to the case would have been to try to put it all on with video evidence. That is not usually an easy thing to do. I would say with 2020 hindsight, it's something that could have been done. And I own that. I mean, ultimately the buck stops here. It's not my job to throw other people under the bus. If there's a decision that is poor and I believe that that was an incorrect decision, then we have to own it and we have to try to do better.

[E]

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[A]

Crime stories with Nancy Grace.

[D]

Katis Scott's human remains were found two weeks after she went missing.

[F]

There are new charges being brought against Keon King. Arson causing catastrophe, conspiracy, unauthorized use of an automobile, receiving stolen property, reckless endangerment of another person, tampering with evidence.

[A]

Wait a minute. I heard Additional charges. I didn't hear that very special word. Murder, arson, death by receiving. Who cares? Kada Scott was murdered, according to Joe Holden joining us from CBS news Philly, within 20 minutes after she gets into the car of the alleged perpetrator. But tonight, a more disturbing question. Is there someone out there that actually thought it was a good idea to help murder Kata Scott so there wouldn't be witnesses and or dispose of her body?

[B]

Listen, at this point, we do have reason to believe that other people may have been involved after the fact at the point where the Hyundai accent is on scene on video at the rec center leading up to, you know, all of the events we're talking about the other car, the Toyota, is there as well. And we believe the people in these vehicles are working together.

[A]

Is that why Joe Holden, that law enforcement believes there is an accomplice? Maybe after the fact, maybe not. I don't know the extent of the accomplice's involvement, but there's two cars. He wasn't driving both of them. Or was he driving both of them at two different times? Who do the two cars belong to? Why are they saying bombshell, there's an accomplice that thinks it's a good idea to bury a Miss USA hopeful behind an abandoned middle school.

[D]

So we don't know what kind of help he's getting. But you're ringing a bell that's going off in all of our minds is where is the homicide chart charge? We have not seen it. We've only heard that they are working on bringing that case. So instead of that case, we have now what is an arson charge and there's also a conspiracy charge attached to it. So they're right. In lies the who's the helper also about this tipster that leads them back to this property on Saturday. We don't even have a sense that investigators have an identity on the tipster. Lots of sources telling us this has to be someone in Keon King's tight knit circle here, his group, someone he knows, maybe a family member. Where we are scratching at the surface here.

[A]

Hey, guys, this video is from Joe's station, CBS Philly. Joe, question. How soon after the $10,000 reward was announced did someone give a tip?

[D]

Pretty immediately there was Wednesday of last week and the family was offering a tip. I believe it was slightly under 10,000 at that moment. So then the call comes into 911 to check the middle school property. And then by Saturday, the reward was increasing. I believe it had reached maybe $12,000. And an email comes in to one of the, you know, Philadelphia Police Department's tip lines, you know, a tip server. I saying go back. Go back to the middle school. Oh, and you have to look here.

[A]

Well, you know, apparently, Mark Tate, veteran trial lawyer, defense attorney, there is no honor amongst thieves.

[J]

Nope. I agree totally. If somebody's fat's in the fire, they're going to grab you and bring in. Bring you with them. And so, sure, there's an accomplice. It appears pretty obvious, because we don't think that Keon King is going to turn himself in or give any tips to try to find this lady. Obviously, somebody, in my opinion, from my experience, assisted in disposing of this body. And I'm afraid that they maybe felt guilty and want to try to get out of it in some fashion.

[A]

Translation, they wanted that $10,000 reward, and.

[J]

They wanted the $10,000. You know, $10,000 can change some people's lives. And so I think that.

[A]

Did you actually sign the guilt that helped bury her body that police then dug out with their bare hands through the maggots called it because they were guilty? And what a coinky dink a coincidence for you that it was right after the reward was announced?

[J]

I agree with you. Like I said, you know, you said if somebody's in trouble, if somebody's in trouble and they think they can give you up and get themselves out of trouble or less trouble than what they otherwise would be, they're gonna snitch. These are not honorable people. These are absolutely the lowest. These aren't like, you know, people who are going to protect each other out of any kind of loyalty. There's no loyalty.

[D]

I gotta tell you something.

[J]

They're gonna get it.

[A]

I'm gonna throw this to Brian Fitzgibbons because you'll probably deny it, and then I will ask Dr. Jerry Lynn utter about it. Fitzgibbons, you've investigated a lot of cases, and I know this is going to sound crazy to a lot of people that have not been in our shoes. Have you ever walked into a group of defendants, like on a crime scene, and you can just feel the evil? It's just a feeling. After all the years I investigated and prosecuted, it really only happened a couple of times where you walk in and it's like the hair goes up on the back of your neck and on your arms. You can sense it. You can sense a feeling of just evil. Talking about no honor among thieves. I mean, really. Come on, Fitzgibbons. How hard is it going to be to trace the IP of The email, the Internet provider, please.

[H]

This is a very simple process for law enforcement to conduct. Number one, they get a subpoena to the ISP and they get that full email header and they unmask the location of where this email came from. It would take a pretty nuanced person to hide that email from them, and I believe that they can do this pretty rapidly.

[A]

To Dr. Jerry Lynn utter joining us, a clinical psychologist specializing in evaluations and assessments for people in the criminal justice system. She's the author of Mainlining Philly Regarding Drug Addiction and Aftershock. I mean, producer of Utter Nonsense. That's an a documentary exploring addiction. Dr. Jerry Lynn Utter, thank you for being with us. Question. What ghoul thinks it's okay to put a beautiful young girl, brilliant, graduated Penn State. That's not easy. And bury her in a shallow grave behind an abandoned middle school and just for good measure, covered up with a board like that's going to stop a cadaver dog and walk away and feel okay with that.

[G]

Whoever is involved, if there is an accomplice like Joe Holden saying in moving her body or burying her, this is somebody that has a similar psychopathy or personality trait as Keon King himself. So to your point that you made earlier about the hair standing up on the back of your neck, when I heard that, that same exact thing happened to me because the group that Mr. King is within and the circle of accomplices that he works within have a similar mindset as he does. So, you know, they probably didn't really see Ms. Scott much as a human being. This was somebody that they were burying in order to please Kian or to help Kian. So the psychopathy is similar in that you're dealing with folks that are sociopathic. So anybody that is going to work to do that probably has a similar personality organization as Mr. King. The other alternative, Nancy, which you probably aren't going to want to hear, is that maybe that the accomplice or person may have been under some type of coercive control, afraid of him, afraid of retaliation from him. That's also an option. But I feel as though it's more, you know, people that are floating in the same circle as he is and also have the same type of mindset as he does.

[B]

Our office approved charges, as the DA Just said, of arson causing catastrophe, conspiracy, unauthorized use of an automobile, tampering with evidence, recklessly endangering another person, and receipt of stolen property. Those charges are in reference to the burning of a vehicle. That vehicle is a 2008 black Hyundai Accent. Kada was deeply loved. Her light, kindness, and beautiful spirit will forever remain in our hearts. Our family now seeks justice for Kata.

[F]

Kayda Scott mattered. Her life matters.

[A]

A second car. Does that indicate. Is that the proof of an accomplices? Some ghoul that thought it was okay to throw the body of a Miss USA hopeful into a shallow grave or dig the grave and then just walk away? I not think another thing about it. Okay, you're hearing about arson charges. Where's that coming from?

[B]

Listen, There was a 911 call that a vehicle was on fire. So police did respond to it. The fire department responded to it, ruled it in arson. And then at that point, when they were finished with their investigation, the car was. It was demolished. It was burned. So it was taken and towed and compacted.

[A]

From our friends at CBS Philly. And speaking of. Straight out to Joe Holden. Tell me about the car fire. It seems disconnected, but it is very connected, man. Probably won't get any evidence from it, but it's. Who does it belong to? What do we know?

[D]

It was stolen. It was stolen on October 3rd. So that is the day before Kada Scott goes missing. And then we know once she goes missing, it's 20 minutes later that police sources believe that she is killed. But then that is the car seen on video from the rec center that sits next to the middle school that Keon King is removing Jada Scott from. The Hyundai Accent. 2008 Hyundai Accent. Then she is placed on the middle.

[A]

I need to understand exactly what he's saying. Joe Holden. Tell me that one more time.

[D]

Car stolen on October 3rd. Katie Scott goes missing on October 4th, and then the car is found burning on the street October 7th. Miraculously, Philadelphia gets right to it and finds the car and takes it off the street because it is an abandoned, burning car. It goes to a junkyard where it is crushed and compacted. We've confirmed that there is no valuable DNA or evidence that can be retrieved from that car because it all burned.

[A]

Up in the fire and was compacted. But at the time, it was taken to a tow lot and compacted, crushed. They likely didn't know it was connected to Kata.

[D]

Absolutely true. And that is where, you know, they're explaining why they can't get, you know, any sort of usable evidence from this car because it's destroyed. And they. They do say it was. They say it was destroyed in the fire. So whatever actions happen at the junkyard, it's not like they could go back and piece this thing together.

[A]

Yeah, I don't Know, if I believe that, Fitzgibbons, Even if a car has been through fire, I don't know how much of it was burned. I don't know if the handle could have had DNA or fingerprints still on it. I don't know if the interior was intact in any way. I mean, without seeing the car, I don't know that we couldn't have gotten fingerprints. But that's a woulda, coulda, shoulda again, because it's over. It's being compacted. You're not going to get anything from it now.

[H]

Fitzgibbons, this vehicle being compacted makes it nearly impossible. And, you know, I will say that there are cases after a vehicle is burnt that we can recover some physical evidence. This is going to speak directly to the amount of blood that was present in that vehicle.

[A]

Guys, this is what we know about the vehicle. Take a listen to the ADA Ashley Teslowski.

[B]

That vehicle was stolen on October 3rd from the area of 6600 Sprague Street. We believe that vehicle is the vehicle that was used in this case. That vehicle was then on scene at that rec center, which ultimately, as we all know, is where we found Ms. Scott's human remains. Video evidence indicates it was on location. Video evidence then indicates it leaves the location it is burned. On October 7th. It was located at the 2300 block of 74th Avenue.

[A]

Straight back to CBS Philly chief investigative reporter and anchor Joe Holden. Now tell me about the video. Because the car is destroyed, I'm not getting anything from that. Okay? I would stay up all night fuming if I were prosecuting this case. But immediately fall back for a Hail Mary. The Hail Mary. Is it video? What does the video show about how this car is connected to Kata?

[D]

So the video shows the car arrives at that middle school property there in East Germantown, where Kata is later found buried just this past weekend. The. The Toyota that they were feverishly searching a week ago is also there now. So Keon King, according to prosecutors and sources, is using both cars in tandem and at times separately. He is apparently using someone else to help him with both cars. So both cars are in motion, so to speak, in this investigation. But it is the Hyundai Accent that is the car believed to take Kate Scott from her place of work in chestnut hill, Saturday, October 4th, just moments after 10pm Then to the middle school property. And then that car on video is seen coming and going two to three times in the time since October 4th.

[B]

We recovered additional evidence, including video evidence that confirms that this vehicle, we believe, is the vehicle that Mr. Keon King used to move. Ms. Scott, we recovered video out from near the Ada Lewis Middle School where our search and the investigator search has been focused. There's a rec center directly next to that school. Video evidence was recovered from that rec center. And we are now able to say that this Hyundai accent was on location at all of the times we're looking at, at all of the pertinent points in the investigation.

[F]

K was kind. She was a kind woman. She was kind to her friends. She was kind to her family. K is someone who could have been our sister, our cousin, Just someone that is a friend or family member in our lives. Could have been anybody, any one of us.

[A]

I want to go quickly out to Dr. Thomas Coyne, guys. He is the chief medical examiner in District 2 in the state of Florida. Forensic pathologist, toxicologist, neuropathologist, and it goes on. How are we going to get a COD Cause of death? Given the amount of time between Kada's death, her murder, and the discovery of.

[I]

Her remains, it really depends upon if sufficient tissue is present still on the body that allows us to identify an injury. So decomposition has progressed far enough where most of the soft tissues on the neck and on the torso absent. It may be hard to see if she was strangled or even stabbed. So they may have to employ the help of an anthropologist that can do a little more detailed examination of the skeleton to see if there are any fractures. So, for instance, if a person was, let's say, stabbed. So you may actually can't do that.

[A]

With an X ray coin.

[I]

No. Very hard to sometimes see the difference between, let's say, scavenging activity, like tooth marks from an animal compared to knife mark from a tool. But if you're able to actually get the bone, not only can you actually see the knife mark, you can make a determination as to whether or not that occurred before death as opposed to just artifact after death. And then you can also maybe use that to create a mold to compare to a murder weapon if you actually find one. So it gives you more options.

[A]

And all that is predicated, Dr. Coyne, upon the knife, if the knife was used. Hitting a bone.

[I]

Exactly. So that's the difficult part about having a body that's found in the ground. If a body's down in the ground.

[A]

And don't you think the likely COD is going to be asphyxiation in that car?

[I]

I do. In this case, I do. And the only thing you hope for is that they were the fact that they haven't released a cause of Death tells me that they didn't have sufficient evidence to determine asphyxiation. You know, if you strangle a person, if the person is recently deceased, you may be able to see bruising in the neck, bruising in the neck muscles. Sometimes you can get a fracture of the thyroid cartilage or hyoid bone. But in a body that's decomposing outside, you hope that you even find the highway bone. If there is a scavenger buried.

[A]

Wait, wait, hold it. Coin. Buried. Buried. Wouldn't that preclude, quote, scavenger activity? Animals tearing her body apart? Let's just put it out there. That's what it is. If she were buried, Coin. Then I don't know that scavengers had gotten to her.

[I]

No. Well, flies did, right? So she actually was covered in maggots. So just because she's in the ground in a shallow grave doesn't mean scavengers can't have access to the body. Those chemicals of decomposition volatilize. They're able to be smelled by animals all around. And there are burying animals that can go into the ground. But. But what I'm saying is that even if he strangled her because she's young, she may not have fractures in her neck. All of the injuries may be in soft tissue, like bruises. And if that tissue is gone from decomposition or maggot activity.

[A]

Let me see him, for Pete's sake. Coin, you can see the monitor, right? You can see Kayta Scott. Does it ever bother you? Because it bothers me badly that we're talking about animals, birthday, throwing into the ground to eat her body and tear it apart.

[I]

It's hard to separate the dad in me, you know, from the doctor. So when I have these cases, I have to turn that off. I mean, it certainly does bother you when those cases come into my office.

[A]

And this is horrible, Joe, I'm gonna have to quit thinking about everything Dr. Thomas Coyne is saying, because I know it's all true, and I know he's right. But I need to think about the evidence that I can handle. How am I going to prove this case and get the killer and all of his minions that helped him? Can we talk about cell phone evidence very quickly? Joe Holden.

[D]

Cell phone evidence places him at all of the pertinent locations. The district attorney's office says in this whole, you know, sort of scheme where it starts on October 3rd with the stealing of a car. October 4th, she goes missing. And then that car is back and forth a few times to this middle school property is he mo. Is he doing? What is he trying to conceal? Further, you know, evidence that he's been there? We will wait and see. The district attorney's office. Nancy, if you hear a lot of how they phrase this, they don't say body. They don't say dead. They don't. They're really just of a degree of respect for Kata Scott, that he moves her, that he takes her there. And so we're scratching our heads and a lot of the time trying to figure out, well, is she dead as she's being moved? And after all of this, we determined we were able to find out from our sources 20 minutes after she leaves her work, they believe she is killed. So as far as the evidence, there's video, there's cell records, and of course, now there is this tipster who provided information on two occasions to Philadelphia police. They are actively investigating the person's identity and are hoping to uncover the trail that that person provided the information that then led police here. That tipster is now part of this investigation video.

[A]

CBS Philly. As we go to air tonight, the case against Katie Scott's killer is being created. The investigation is ongoing. If you know or think you know anything about the disappearance and death of this beautiful girl, Kata Scott, please dial 215-686-8477. Repeat, 215-686-8477. We remember American hero Sergeant Harold Preston, Houston P.D. shot in the line of duty after 41 years in law enforcement, leaving behind devastated parents. American hero sergeant Sergeant Harold Preston, Nancy Gray signing off. Goodbye, friend. This is an I heart podcast.