Investigators said they believe King and Scott came in contact with each other the day she went missing.
“Our evidence is pretty clear that she was in communication with an individual, that individual appears to meet her very shortly after she leaves her place of work, and very shortly after that, she disappears,” Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore, for Philadelphia police, said during Wednesday’s press conference.
Police also said they are trying to locate a car connected to Scott’s disappearance.
“We believe she may have been in that vehicle,” Assistant District Attorney Ashley Toczylowski said.
The vehicle is described as a 1999 metallic gold Toyota Camry with a Pennsylvania tag of MSX0797. It has heavy front-end damage on the left front bumper.
They say the vehicle has been seen in various locations across the city and ask anyone who sees a car like it to call police at 215-686-TIPS (8477).
“We know it’s been in Mount Airy. We have photos of it in Center City, we have pictures of it in Grays Ferry area and in Southwest Philadelphia. So it’s possible that it could be anywhere, it could be outside the city,” Vanore said.
Officials added that it is possible the car no longer has the tag they are associating with the vehicle.
“Every person listening to this, whether you’re in North Philly, South Philly, or Southwest, Northwest — please open your eyes and see if you locate this car or if you have seen this car, please contact us and give us that information,” 1st Deputy Commissioner John Stanford said, adding, “The public has been very, very helpful thus far in providing a lot of information, which the investigators have been able to track down a lot of the leads, which has helped us get to this point here.”
“Now is the time to make that phone call and let us know,” Stanford said.
Police said King has an alleged “pattern” with this type of history and are asking any other possible victims to come forward.
Toczylowski said King is allegedly connected to a previous kidnapping and strangulation case from earlier in 2025. That case was never tried because the victim did not appear in court, officials said.
Officials said Wednesday they are going to refile charges in that case.
Scott was last seen leaving her workplace, a senior living facility in Chestnut Hill, on the night of Saturday, October 4.
Before her disappearance, Scott had told people that she was being harassed, but it is unclear if King was the person allegedly harassing her.
While King is in custody, police said there is “still a lot of work needs to be done.”
“We are treating this as if Ms. Scott is still alive,” Vanore said.
“The number one priority is locating Ms. Scott,” said Stanford.
This comes just days after officials said homicide investigators were assisting in the case.
“The case was shifted to homicide because we have the most experienced investigators in our homicide unit. They have the most experience dealing with all types of investigations. They also have the most resources available to them,” Stanford explained on Wednesday.
Police say her car was still at work the day she went missing and that her phone is dead.