A Washington DC man was arrested last month in connection with the deaths of two women in Virginia. He was charged with murdering the said victims. The same man has now been identified as the 'shopping cart serial killer,' after being linked to two more murdered women in the state. Cops are now suspecting there may be even more bodies.
According to DailyMail, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis informed Friday that the killer met his victims on dating sites, took them on dates, murdered them, and used grocery store carts to transport the dead bodies of the women. Hence the name, 'shopping cart serial killer.' Chief Davis noted while it's a good thing that the killer is now in custody, the real challenge that lies ahead is identifying other victims.
The serial killer was identified as 35-year-old Anthony Robinson. Chief Davis said that Robinson was taken into custody in Rockingham County last month, but he has lived in various locations in recent years including along the East Coast and New York.
Two bodies in Virginia
Police in Harrisonburg, Virginia found the bodies of Tonita 'Nita' Lorice Smith, 39, of Charlottesville, and Allene Elizabeth 'Beth' Redmon, 54, of Harrisonburg in a vacant lot. The Harrisonburg police then arrested Robinson in November and charged him with the murders of Smith and Redmon.
Redmon, a mother of two and a grandmother, who was last seen in the downtown area of Harrisonburg, had disappeared sometime around October 24. Smith, on the other hand, was a mother of six and was last seen on November 14 in the 300 block of 10 1/2 Street near Charlottesville. She was reported missing by her mother on November 19. The bodies of Redmon and Smith were found a short distance apart in a vacant lot at the intersection of Route 33 and Interstate 81 in Harrisonburg on November 23. According to the police, the women were killed at different times.
Following Robinson's arrest, police were prompted to search an area near the Moon Inn in Fairfax County south of Alexandria, which is more than 130 miles east of Harrisonburg, based on some crucial evidence uncovered. The detectives found a red shopping cart in the area alongside a large plastic container that held the remains of two women on Wednesday.
The story of the shopping cart
The commander of the major crimes unit in Fairfax County, Ed O'Carroll said that after the discovery, detectives recalled that bodies in Harrisonburg cases were also disposed of similarly by using a shopping cart. The remains of one of the two women that were found in Fairfax County were identified as those of 29-year-old Cheyenne Brown. The second victim has not been identified yet. The Washington DC police had been investigating Cheyenne Brown's disappearance.
The suspect did 'unspeakable things' to the victims
Robinson's three identified victims had gone missing in the last few months. Police are now trying to find if there are more victims. "That's what worries us. He didn't suddenly turn into who he is three months ago," Chief Davis said. Chief Davis further noted that it was quite 'remarkable' that Robinson had no recorded criminal history prior to his arrest on murder charges last month.
All three victims are said to have met the killer on dating sites. Police have not confirmed if the victims were sexually assaulted. Davis, however, stated during the press conference that the killer did 'unspeakable things' to the victims.
