Police in Virginia think they have located a fifth victim tied to an accused serial murderer nicknamed the “shopping cart killer,” after identifying two others and continuing to look for more.
The latest information comes nearly a month after the authorities announced that a suspect who previously got charged for killing two ladies whose bodies were discovered in Harrisonburg is also suspected of being involved in the deaths of two more females whose remains were discovered in Alexandria in Fairfax County.
A bystander discovered the suspected fifth victim, again a woman, shrouded by a blanket in a cart on 7th September in Washington, D.C., and reported the finding to police, according to officials.
The Fairfax County Police Department reported last week that they got a tip that the suspect in the Alexandria killings, Anthony Eugene Robinson of Washington, may be connected to the D.C. case.
“We believe this may be Anthony Eugene Robinson’s fifth victim,” Fairfax County Police Major Edward O’Carroll said during a press briefing Friday night. “This is based on digital evidence that puts him in the same vicinity around the time of the victim’s disappearance. It’s sad and tragic.”
According to the Police Department, Sonya Champ’s corpse was discovered in a shopping cart near Union Station. The matter is being investigated at the moment. During the death investigation, Fairfax County police have said that they are exchanging information with MPD.
Fairfax County police also confirmed Friday that the two victims discovered in Alexandria were Cheyenne Brown, 29, and Stephanie Harrison, 48. Police first suspected Brown was one of the victims due to characteristic tattoos recognized by her relatives, but DNA confirmation was pending.
The bodies of the two ladies were discovered in a container placed next to a shopping cart at the Moon Inn on December 15, according to authorities. Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said that Robinson is the prime and lone suspect in their deaths.
“Robinson was the last person to be seen alive with Cheyenne,” Davis said to reporters Friday. “Cheyenne interacted with Robinson on the Plenty of Fish dating app. It is believed that Robinson used this Plenty of Fish dating app to lure his victims. We believe Robinson has also used the Tagged dating app.”
According to investigators, cellular data put Brown and Robinson in the same spot on September 30, the night of her disappearance. Receipt records also revealed that they resided at the Moon Inn on the particular day, and that Robinson had been there at least five additional times, according to Davis on Friday.
Robinson was also accused with the killings of two Virginia women who were discovered dead in an open lot in Harrisonburg’s business center on Nov. 23, according to police. According to Harrisonburg police, video surveillance and cellular information linked him to the two victims.
Authorities claim that both women, Allene Elizabeth, 54, and Tonita Lorice Smith, 39, contacted Robinson via dating websites and met him at a hotel on separate dates.
The women’s corpses were discovered with blunt force damage, and detectives suspect they were taken to the spot in a shopping cart.
Robinson faces two charges of first-degree murder, including two felony counts of hiding, transferring, or modifying a dead body. His lawyer, Louis Nagy, said that he is not giving any remarks on the accusations or claims that ABC News previously linked to him.
Robinson, who is presently detained in the Adult Detention Center in Rockingham County awaiting trial on the Harrisonburg killings, will face new charges in their cases, according to Fairfax County police.
“Thankfully, he’s incarcerated and it gives us the ability to work backwards while he’s still not out there killing,” Davis said. “The fact that he is awaiting trial in Harrisonburg, Virginia, allows us to continue to build our probable cause to charge him eventually here in Fairfax County.”
As part of their investigation, detectives are seeking anybody who may have interacted with Robinson on dating apps.
“We believe there are survivors out there,” Davis stated. “We remain very determined to continue to dig deep and get to the bottom of this.”
