Following the discovery of four bodies in Fairfax County of Virginia, the police are investigating if the deaths were caused by the same man. The police have already linked 35-year-old Anthony Robinson with the deaths of two of the women and trying to establish if the bodies of two other women had anything to do with him, NBC Washington reports.
Police authorities arrested Robinson in Rockingham County in November and charged him for the deaths of the first two women discovered. Police said he met women on dating sites and then linked up with them before killing them. He used a shopping cart to move their bodies into the woods where they are dumped, prompting the police to dub him the “shopping cart killer.”
The three women identified thus far are Allene Elizabeth Redmon, Tonita Lorice Smith, and Cheyenne Brown. The identity of the fourth woman has not been established. The authorities believe Robinson could be linked to other deaths that are yet to be resolved, and they are pursuing leads to determine if he was responsible for other deaths in Virginia and the entire Washington DC area.
“The good thing is he’s in custody,” said Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis. “The challenge that remains is identifying other victims. Our Shopping Cart Killer does unspeakable things with his victims. He preys on the weak, he preys on the vulnerable.”
Redmon was 54, Smith was 39, and Brown was a 29-year-old woman. The bodies of Redmon and Smith were discovered on November 23 in Harrisonburg and Brown was found later, having disappeared from her Southeast DC home on September 30. Brown had a 7-year-old son and was pregnant at the time of her disappearance, and her body was identified by a characteristic tattoo she had on.
Police think Robinson may also have killed Stephanie Harrison, 48, who flew from California to Washington DC for sightseeing purposes but disappeared in August. Robinson was staying at the Moon Inn hotel in Fairfax County when Harrison lodged at the hotel, and they stayed in different rooms. Harrison had three adult children and three grandchildren; the police are trying to run a DNA test to identify her body.
Police authorities said Robinson lived in Washington, DC, Maryland, and New York. He did not have any criminal history until recently when cellphone records and surveillance video footage linked him to the deaths of Redmon and Smith. Footage also showed that Robinson and Brown were together on November 30, the night that she disappeared and was last seen.
Robinson is being held at a Rockingham County jail without bond. His attorney has declined comments.