POLK COUNTY, Fla. — This weekend marks one year since Tonya Whipp, from Auburndale, was last seen.
“It’s hard. A year is hard,” said her aunt, Lisa Textor. “We never thought it would be a year.”
Whipp, who was 38 at the time she disappeared, is considered missing and endangered.
Family members have said her disappearance is highly unusual, and they have given up hope that Whipp is still alive.
"Tonya's not the type of person that would ever just not contact her family, and as each passing week, month went by, the realization hit: she's not coming home. We're not going to have her back here,” Textor said. “And it's been super emotional."
However, they still have plenty of hope that justice will be served.
Days ago, Tonya‘s boyfriend was arrested and charged for redirecting money from her financial accounts to his own. Then, Auburndale Police Department conducted a multi day search of his home.
“This was just a first step,” Textor said. “We’re going to find out where she is.”
Even though the boyfriend, Russell Carroll, has not been charged for Tonya‘s disappearance, family members and the nonprofit that helps search for the missing — We Are the Essentials — are as hopeful as ever for a break in the case.
“Our job doesn’t stop,” said Nico Tusconi, a co-founder of We Are the Essentials. “Our phones are constantly ringing.”
“We just hope that at some point this nightmare comes to an end for these families,” added Billy Lane, a fellow co-founder.
Until then, they will keep helping, and family members will keep shining a light on Tonya Whipp’s name.
“We’ll never stop — ever — until she gets justice,” Textor said.
There is a $4,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest. To remain anonymous, contact the Heartland Crime Stoppers at 1-888-400-TIPS.
