‘We’re not going away’: Tonya Whipp’s family vows to attend all her boyfriend’s court appearances

POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — The family of Tonya Whipp said the missing woman’s boyfriend can get used to seeing their faces in court.

“I will be here every time he’s here,” Whipp’s sister, Jenny Shelton, said.

“We want our presence to be known, honestly, and we’re not going away. We’re not going away. Somebody else is gonna go away but it won’t be us until we see this through,” Donna Martin, Tonya Whipp’s sister, added.

Russell Carroll, Whipp’s boyfriend, has been in jail for months, accused of accessing and spending Tonya Whipp’s money after her disappearance in the spring of 2023.

The Auburndale Police Department and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement executed at least two search warrants at the home Carroll shared with Whipp .

During a minute-long hearing on Tuesday, Carroll was in front of a judge on the grand theft and criminal use of personal identification information charges involving Whipp’s finances.

His attorney was granted a continuance and declined to comment to News Channel 8.

The family was joined in the courthouse by an Auburndale Police detective and Nico Tusconi, a co-founder of “We Are The Essentials.”

“It sucks that it was continued today but at least we know where he’s at until the truth comes out,” Martin said.

“We wished that it would move forward. It’s dragging out now for three months. Either an attorney leaves, or we just want it to get done, to get moving forward, not just keep continuing,”” Lisa Textor, Whipp’s aunt, said.

Carroll has not been charged with any crimes related to Whipp’s actual disappearance but prosecutors wrote in a court filing he has been notified he is the only suspect in Whipp’s homicide investigation.

“I’ve seen him in the orange jumpsuit and I loved it. That’s where he belongs until he takes his last breath,” Shelton said.

Carroll is due back in court on Oct. 22.

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