AUBURNDALE, Fla. — Dozens of volunteers set out Sunday morning to find a 38-year-old woman who was last seen nearly two months ago.
Auburndale Police investigating the case say Tonya Whipp went missing sometime between May 28 and June 1. Since then, no one has been able to contact her.
Whipp is described as approximately 5 feet, 7 inches with light brown hair.
Whipp was originally reported missing back on June 29 to the Auburndale Police Department. Officers received a call from Whipp's sister who asked them to do a wellness check. Police were unsuccessful in finding the 38-year-old.
10 Tampa Bay asked the family if Tonya was dating anyone. They said she had a boyfriend they didn't know well.
We also asked if the family was suspicious about the boyfriend to which they said, "We’re not at liberty to say, but our goal is to find our sister."
In efforts to locate Tonya, family and friends have taken search efforts into their own hands. Two community searches have taken place. Leading those searches is a nonprofit group called, "We Are the Essentials."
"Very grateful, we have a lot of friends and family here. A lot of people we’ve never met," Tonya's sister, Donna Martin said.
The co-founder of the group has been organizing searches in Auburndale around where she lived to find Whipp but says it's been tough.
"The terrain out here is unforgiving. There are more lakes in this area than I’ve ever seen. Right now it’s 90-something degrees," the Co-Founder of We Are the Essentials, Nico Tusconi explained.
Auburndale Police released new information regarding the man Whipp was living with. Police confirmed Whipp was living with a man named Russell Carroll.
Police confirmed Carroll was the same man who was recently released from prison for the attempted murder/stabbing of his 16-year-old girlfriend in 2003.
At this point, no one is a person of interest in this case. When 10 Tampa Bay asked investigators what Carroll has said about Whipp’s disappearance, they responded, "We are not releasing that information at this point in the investigation."
They are asking for any information from the community. You can contact the Auburndale Police Department or Heartland Crime Stoppers 1-800-226-TIPS.