FAIRFAX, Va. (WTKR) – Authorities in Fairfax have identified two of the victims of the “Shopping Cart Killer.” According to police, the suspect met victims on dating sites and eventually at motels, and after killing them, would leave their bodies in shopping carts.
In a Jan. 7 press conference, Fairfax Police Chief Kevin Davis announced DNA evidence has confirmed the identities of Cheyenne Brown, 29, of Washington, D.C., and Stephanie Harrison, 48, of Redding, California, as the victims found in a container near the Moon Inn motel in Alexandria.
This image provided by the Fairfax County Police Department shows the shopping cart that was located in an isolated wooded area near where human remains were found on Dec. 15, 2021, in the Alexandria section of Fairfax County. (Fairfax County Police Department)
On December 17, 2021, officials identified the accused killer as 35-year-old Anthony Robinson. He was originally said to have taken the lives of at least four people in Virginia, but authorities believe another woman may have been his victim, bringing the total to five.
Robinson is incarcerated in the Rockingham County Adult Detention Center and remains the primary suspect.
Officials say Robinson was the last person to be seen alive with Brown. He is awaiting trial for the murders of two women in Harrisonburg.
Robinson allegedly transported the bodies of these women in a shopping cart, and police believe he also transported at least one of the victims from Fairfax County in a shopping cart.
To learn more about the suspect, authorities have called on the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit and the FBI Washington Field Office. They’ve also partnered with authorities in Robinson’s home state of New York and the Harrisonburg Police Department.
Police say they’re also working on a victimology profile and are hoping to get in contact with other women who may have interacted with Robinson.
Detectives met with 35 other police departments in the D.C., Maryland, Virginia metropolitan area “to comb over existing missing person cases to determine if any commonalities exist.”
Officials say Brown interacted with Robinson on the Plenty of Fish dating app. They believe Robinson used the app, as well as several other dating sites, to lure his victims.
The police chief said detectives found the bodies of Brown and Harrison after staff at the Moon Inn provided a receipt showing Robinson was staying at the motel the same day Brown went missing.
The chief said detectives have since “combed through thousands of paper receipts” looking for more information about Robinson staying at the Moon Inn. They say they’ve found he’s stayed there on at least five other occasions.
Officials say just this week, they received a “critical tip” that Robinson may be linked to another case where a woman was found dead in a shopping cart, covered only by a blanket, in Washington, D.C. They believe she may be Robinson’s fifth victim.
FILE – Anthony Robinson (Harrisonburg PD via WTKR)
Major crimes detectives are looking for anyone who may have interacted with Robinson on these dating apps or any other dating apps. They believe there are others who have had contact with him and can provide crucial information about him.
“Because this case is not about shopping carts. It’s about a serial killer who took the lives of innocent women.”
If you believe you or someone you know had any contact with Robinson, especially on a dating site, you’re asked to call either the Fairfax County Police Department, the Harrisonburg Police Department or your local police department.
You can contact the Fairfax County Police Department’s Major Crimes Bureau at (703) 246-7800.
You can also submit tips anonymously through their Crime Solvers program at 1-866-411-TIPS.
This story was originally published Jan. 7, 2021, by WTKR in Norfolk, an E.W. Scripps Company.
