Volunteer search for Tony Whipp yields no new leads; efforts continue
AUBURNDALE, Florida (TodayNews) — A thorough search by volunteers for the missing Auburndale woman has yielded no new information about her whereabouts.
Tony Whipp’s family, police and a nonprofit are continuing their search for the 38-year-old, who was last seen at the end of May.
“We’re just trying to stick together,” said Donna Whipp, wearing a T-shirt with her sister’s name and face on it. “It’s definitely not like her, and that makes her even scarier.”
Whipp’s boyfriend said she was not at their Caroline Avenue home when he returned from work in late May, according to Auburndale police.
Whipp has not been contacted since a message was sent from her Facebook account on June 1. Now her phone is switched off.
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“She’s got quite, you know, independence. I’m really proud of her and just want her to give us a call,” Martin said.
Martin and Whipp’s family shares information on a growing Facebook group called Help Find Tonya Whipp.
On Sunday, they also took part in the search for volunteers in the area of Whipp’s home in Auburndale.
“We had a big turnout. We haven’t found anything vital to the case,” Martin said.
The search was coordinated by the leaders of the non-profit organization We Are The Essentials.
Founded by retired law enforcement and military officials, We Are The Essentials explored areas of interest before sending about 150 volunteers to 11 locations on Sunday.
“We use cars. We use foot patrols. We are using drones and trying to plan as best we can for where the search efforts should be,” said co-founder Nico Tusconi.
Tusconi said he was sharing information with police and plans to conduct another search in the near future.
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“We are doing our best to give them some answers, but at the moment we are all very concerned about her safety,” Tusconi said.
In a message to News Channel 8 on Monday, Auburndale Police Chief Terry Storey said his officers were determined to find Whipp.
“We all worked all weekend looking for potential clients. So far, there are no signs of her. We’ve been chasing leads from Ocala to Lutz to Pinellas Park… back to that again today,” he said.
Chief Storey said there is currently no evidence that a crime has been committed in connection with Whipp’s disappearance.
Police are asking anyone with information to call Detective Chris Wall of the Auburndale Police Department at (863) 965-5555. ).
