Boyfriend of missing woman Tonya Whipp ‘sole suspect’ in death investigation: documents

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – The state of Florida is asking for higher bail for Russell Carroll, the boyfriend of missing Polk County woman Tonya Whipp, 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.

Documents released after Carroll’s arrest on Tuesday revealed that Whipp’s Chime account continued to receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments even after her disappearance. According to prosecutors, he admitted to making withdrawals from the account while talking to police.

He was charged with criminal use of personal identification information and grand larceny. Bail for each charge was set at $25,000 and $10,000, respectively.

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 most 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 girlfriend at the time, who was stabbed multiple times with a knife. In August 2013, he was arrested again for a probation violation and spent nearly ten years in prison before meeting Whipp.