Candlelight vigil for Tonya Whipp, loved ones remain hopeful that she'll be found

AUBURNDALE, Fla. - Friends and family of Tonya Whipp, 38, gathered at a park in downtown for a candlelight vigil, hoping Tonya will find her way home.

"I think in our hearts, we want to believe that she’s just going to come walking through the door, you really want to hold that little glimmer of hope, but at the same time, when it’s been this long, you start questioning and that hope starts to dwindle," said Lisa Textor, Tonya’s aunt.

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She says the last several months have been excruciating.

"Christmas was super hard, it’s been very emotional in our family. It’s been torture honestly, the not knowing, not getting answers, not knowing what happened to her. Because we know if she was okay and was able to use a phone, she would’ve reached out. We would’ve heard from her a long time ago," Textor said.

Tonya was last seen at the end of May and was reported missing in Auburndale in late June.

Picured: Tonya Whipp

Police say that Tonya lived in a home on Caroline Avenue, which belonged to her boyfriend and his brother. Investigators have searched the home, but made no arrests have been made.

"Really hoping and praying and keeping our faith as the pastor said that we get some answers soon, and that whomever did whatever to my sister, that they are prosecuted," said Donna Martin, Tonya’s sister.

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A spokesperson for the Auburndale Police Department says this is a high priority case they're still actively investigating.

"Hopefully, after the new year we’ll start doing searches again. We will search every inch of Polk County if we have to," said Textor.