Remains that appear to be those of a missing D.C. woman and a second person were found in a trash can in a wooded area of Fairfax County, and a man who has been charged in two Virginia slayings is a “person of interest” in the case, authorities said Friday.
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The remains of Cheyenne Brown, 29, of Southeast D.C., were preliminarily identified Thursday after family members recognized distinctive tattoos on the body of the woman, Fairfax County police and the victim’s mother said.
Investigators are still trying to determine the second person’s identity.
Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis is scheduled to hold a news conference Friday afternoon to announce evidence of an alleged serial killer, police said. He will be joined by the police chief of Harrisonburg, Va., where the bodies of two other women linked to the investigation were found.
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The bodies in Fairfax County were found adjacent to a hotel in Huntington called the Moon Inn, where authorities had tracked Brown’s cellphone, police said. Brown disappeared after boarding a bus in the D.C.'s Benning neighborhood on Sept. 30, her family said.
A shopping cart was found near the trash can and investigators believe it may have been used to transport the bodies to the location, police said. Fairfax County police said they will use DNA tests to try to confirm the identities of the bodies.
Detectives are investigating Anthony Robinson, 35, of D.C., in connection with Brown’s disappearance. Robinson was charged in late November with two counts of first-degree murder after the bodies of two women were discovered in a vacant lot in Harrisonburg, Va., about 130 miles south of D.C.
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Little is known about Robinson, who police said does not have a criminal record. Investigators believe he met at least some of the victims in the cases online, Fairfax police said. Robinson’s attorney in the Harrisonburg cases has previously declined to comment.
Man charged in slayings under scrutiny in D.C. missing person case, police say
Davis said in an interview he is working to create a task force of area police departments to scour missing persons cases to see if any others fit the pattern detectives are seeing in the existing cases.
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“There are likely other missing persons that have yet to be located that fit the profile of these victims,” Davis said. “We have a lot of work to do regionally.”
Cheyenne Brown’s mother, Nicadra Brown, said police told her the body they believe is her daughter’s had a tattoo of the name “Cheyenne” and a lily on her right arm. Brown said her daughter has such a tattoo on her right arm.
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She said police are still awaiting DNA to definitively confirm the body is that of Cheyenne. She said police promised to expedite the testing so final arrangements can be made.
“Hopefully it’s sooner rather than later,” said Nicadra Brown, noting authorities won’t release the body until the DNA test results come back. “It’s excruciating,” she said of the wait.
“My heart is broken,” she said. “Just the thought of my baby not being here is devastating. It’s like a bad dream I just want to wake up from.”
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She had previously told The Washington Post that the family thinks her daughter had contact with Robinson prior to her disappearance, but does not know for sure how they met.
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The mother described Cheyenne as “very friendly” and said she “wouldn’t hurt a soul … She was probably too nice.”
The two victims in Harrisonburg were identified as Allene Elizabeth Redmon, 54, of Harrisonburg, and Tonita Lorice Smith, 39, of Charlottesville. Redmon was killed around Oct. 24 and Smith was slain around Nov. 14, police said. Harrisonburg police said Robinson was arrested on the same street where the bodies were found shortly after the discovery on Nov. 23.
Robinson had traveled to Harrisonburg for work and had only been there a brief amount of time, authorities there said.
Ann Farris, a sister-in-law of Redmon, called her “one of the sweetest people you would ever meet.”
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She described Redmon as “hard-working, dedicated to her family.” Redmon had two daughters and multiple grandchildren.
Redmon worked at various physically demanding jobs, at a hotel and a local poultry plant, Farris said.
“It’s hard to believe she let her guard down to meet up with somebody like that,” Farris said.
Farris said she believed Redmon met Robinson online, which was out of character for her. Redmon’s husband died a few years ago. Farris and her husband, who live in West Virginia, had visited Redmon and discussed her moving to get away from all the memories of her late husband.
“That was the love of her life,” Farris said.