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DC woman's death possibly linked to 'shopping cart killer' now called homicide

Sonya Champ's body was found last year inside a shopping cart near Union Station. Her death was previously classified as "undetermined."

WASHINGTON — Editor's note: The above video is from January 8, 2022.

Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detectives are investigating a woman's death as a homicide months after she was found dead in a shopping cart near Union Station.

Investigators believe 40-year-old Sonya Champ could be the fifth victim of an alleged serial killer.

Last September, authorities found Champ unresponsive and unconscious in the 200 block of F Street in Northeast D.C. Her death had been classified as undetermined until Tuesday, June 14.

RELATED: 'It’s bringing back the memories': Mother learns daughter's death in DC could be linked to 'Shopping Cart Killer'

WUSA9 spoke with Champ's mother, Norma Hairston, in January.

Hairston described her daughter as a "sweet person" who often stayed to herself but loved being around family and helping others.

Detectives say 35-year-old Anthony Robinson is a person of interest in the killing. Officers in Virginia arrested Robinson in December 2021, connecting him to the murders of four women in the Commonwealth. Police say Robinson used dating apps to lure women and meet them at motels before killing them and transporting their remains in shopping carts.

Robinson is currently behind bars in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Hairston said in January that news of Robinson's arrest brought some relief.

"I didn’t know what she died from. None of that. I have closure now," she said at the time. "I’m at peace with it because now I really know what happened to my daughter.”

RELATED: Police identify 2 more victims of alleged 'shopping cart killer' and announce a 5th case active in DC

RELATED: Mother of alleged 'shopping cart killer' victim talks about her family's loss

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