AUBURNDALE, Fla. (WFLA) — Over 100 people searched for 38-year-old Tonya Whipp Sunday morning in Auburndale.
Her family hasn’t seen her since late May.
“Please come help us find my sister,” Donna Martin said. “Please come help us.”
Polk County Sheriff’s deputies searched on airboats in Lake Hart while volunteers searched on the ground throughout the area.
“She was a second daughter to me,” said Jane Miller who drove from Valrico to help with the search. “We spent a lot of time together.”
Volunteers from across the community gathered at the Citgo gas station on Lake Ariana Blvd at 9:30 a.m. to join the search.
A search was organized by a group called “We Are The Essentials,” which takes leads on Whipp’s possible whereabouts every day.
“The hope is to develop some intel, some leads as to where Tonya is located or where she may have went,” said the group’s founder, Nico Tusconi.
Auburndale police said there is no evidence of a crime or suspicious activity, but finds the length of time with no word from her concerning.
“Tonya’s never done anything like this, myself, my team, and the rest of the community are concerned,” Tusconi said.
Despite the efforts of over 100 volunteers, there was still no sight of Whipp as of the time this article was published.
“She’s been gone way too long it’s not like her,” Martin explained. “We’re just looking for anything that will bring her back to us.”
