Missing woman Tonya Whipp’s boyfriend is the “sole suspect” in the death investigation, according to documents

PASCO COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – Detectives are intensifying their search for a missing Auburndale woman as Tonya Whipp has been last seen in a year.

They spent the weekend executing a search warrant at their boyfriend’s home after he was arrested last week.

While no “evidence of significant value” was found during their search over the weekend, new court documents shed light on the investigation.

The state of Florida is seeking higher bail for Russell Carroll, Tonya Whipp’s boyfriend, who is accused of impersonating her and stealing from her bank account.

Prosecutors allege Carroll accessed her checking account “multiple times” since June 29, 2023, the day Whipp was reported missing by her sister.

The Auburndale Police Department’s missing persons investigation determined Whipp is dead and her body was never recovered. Carroll is now considered “the only suspect in the murder investigation.”

They were living together at the time of her disappearance, but Carroll claimed he had not seen her since May 26, 2023. However, Whipp wasn’t reported missing until her sister notified police the following month.

In court documents filed Friday, the state argued that Carroll is a flight risk and his bail should be increased. They also demanded that he be placed on house arrest when he is released from prison.

During the recent police interview, Carroll “was made aware by investigators that he was the sole suspect in the murder investigation of Tonya Whipp.”

The couple began a relationship shortly after Carroll’s release from prison in January 2023. He was in prison from 2004 to 2013 for attempted murder.

In this case, the victim was his then-girlfriend, who was stabbed multiple times with a knife when Carroll was 16 years old.

In August 2013, he was arrested again for a probation violation and spent nearly ten years in prison before meeting Whipp.

Investigators will return to Carroll’s home Monday morning to continue their search for evidence.

Whipp’s family will host a vigil at a park near Auburndale City Hall on Friday, May 24, at 6 p.m