LA - Mickey Shunick, 21, Lafayette, 19 May 2012 - #7

[HouDat]

Two points:

First, regarding the white 4WD pickup truck. Though Lafayette is less rural, more city-like, there are still boatloads of high-dollar pickups being driven in and around town. Often, Oil & Gas company executives (especially those affiliated with the independents) drive those things in lieu of luxury cars. It is not wise to simply shift focus away from Lafayette proper due to the nature of one of the vehicles in question.

Second, regarding the Atchafalaya. I fished and hunted there for 25+ years, and one nuance about the basin is that water movement is only very, very slightly affected by tides. What affects current much more is river stage. That is, the Mississippi River. There are locks which regulate the flow of water into the Basin, depending upon the river stage of the Mississippi. When floodwaters from up north began surging southward, the locks are opened accordingly to siphon off some overflow. Essentially, the Basin acts as a shield of sorts, accommodating excess waters from the big river so that downstream flooding doesn't occur.

That said, when there is a particularly large bump of water coming downstream from the Mississippi River, currents in the Basin -- and especially in Whiskey Bay, which is otherwise known as the "Pilot Channel" of the Atchafalaya River -- can be quite treacherous.

ETA: What can you local outdoorsmen tell me about current conditions of a) the MS River; and B) Butte La Rose? (river stage, etc.)

What I haven't yet been able to determine is whether or not the watery area where the bicycle was supposedly found is directly in that channel, or whether it's in one of the nearby slack-water bodies. Obviously this would make a significant difference in terms of the water's turbidity and, thus, underwater visibility.

 

[JurysOut]

White crew cab trucks are super common in Lafayette and probably other parts of Louisiana. Tint is also common to have as its so hot here. What is not all that common is bed covers. I haven't seen anyone with that in a while. They make a roll up kind and a kind with hydraulic arms that lift up. I don't believe any of the trucks in the pictures have a bed cover (I'm just not seeing it). I believe its just reflection from the street lights.

Big white crew cab trucks are also very common in north east PA and the southern tier of New York. Mostly frackers.

I've seen a lot of these trucks in the Pensacola/Mobile area as well.

Must be popular fleet vehicles.

 

[kai]

What would make LE know she is not near where the bike was found?
I can't quite see how they can clear such a huge area with a one-day search.

I think they have the video from the dot cameras that shows the bike being left and nothing else. Jmo.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

 

[CIRCA]

A.c.I. you are a private investigator?

I know a lot of people who work offshore. My dad grandpa whole family work offshore all my friends' significant others and such. Ialways hearpeople around me tell their wives girlfriends etc "don't tell people I work offshore! They do not need to know I work offshore and when I'm not home!" Do you think that whoever did this could have possibly known that her dad was called out that morning?

I do know this. Helicopters don't fly in the dark. So if someone who works offshore did that he'd be on his way out......at sun up on Saturday? Doubtful. Now if they crew changed on Friday, he came home Friday to money in the bank probably partied in Lafayette all night. Normal 7 and 7 schedule.......he'dbe due to go back out following Thursday/ Friday morning to catch helicopter at sun up. Dropped bike off on his way. Just find it odd that bike was found exactly one week later. I guess the proof would be whether the area was searched before the fishermen saw bike. Like to know itvdefinately wasn't there before and when exactly it did appear there. I bet le knows!

I've gew up in Lafayette, I've been thinking that this is probably a mid 30's male who works off shore. Probably in the oil field in some respect. Lafayette is an oil city, everyone seems to be involved in one way or another to oilfield jobs. Anyhow I'm getting off track. My point is that these guys out there spend their time off shore, make lots of money are for the most part single and they spend all their money customizing their trucks and partying.
I like your theory.
There are places that these guys park their vehicles when they go out, and someone definitely need to keep a look on these lots where the workers trucks are parked. That gas cap is key. I am in Baton Rouge and have had an eagle eye out for both vehicles. Not one old Caddy, but plenty of white 4 door trucks - none with the custom gas cap.

 

[nutkin]

What would make LE know she is not near where the bike was found?
I can't quite see how they can clear such a huge area with a one-day search.

If I were them, I'd reason that the bike was not found in the water and didn't appear to have washed up. If a perp were going to discard a body in the water, why would they leave the bike on land?

 

[nutkin]

I think they have the video from the dot cameras that shows the bike being left and nothing else. Jmo.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

The police officer on NG said there are no surveillance cameras on the bridge or on the exit.

 

[A.C.I]

A.c.I. you are a private investigator?

I know a lot of people who work offshore. My dad grandpa whole family work offshore all my friends' significant others and such. Ialways hearpeople around me tell their wives girlfriends etc "don't tell people I work offshore! They do not need to know I work offshore and when I'm not home!" Do you think that whoever did this could have possibly known that her dad was called out that morning?

I do know this. Helicopters don't fly in the dark. So if someone who works offshore did that he'd be on his way out......at sun up on Saturday? Doubtful. Now if they crew changed on Friday, he came home Friday to money in the bank probably partied in Lafayette all night. Normal 7 and 7 schedule.......he'dbe due to go back out following Thursday/ Friday morning to catch helicopter at sun up. Dropped bike off on his way. Just find it odd that bike was found exactly one week later. I guess the proof would be whether the area was searched before the fishermen saw bike. Like to know itvdefinately wasn't there before and when exactly it did appear there. I bet le knows!

Yes i am.

With this being a town of lots of people who work offshore, its quite possible the perp does. But i think the father being offshore is just a coincidence. Because even if he was in at the time I dont see how that wouldve made a difference. Its not like she was taken from the home.

And as far as the bike goes, it all depends where it was actually found. If it was on land I think it was recently placed because I know that area has had lots of people all week who woudlve seen it. In the water though, I can see how it wouldnt be discovered until today.

Only time and new evidence will tell. As for me, Im just running around doing my own investigation in hopes some of my ideas and leads pan out. An update from LE would be nice so I could investigate accordingly, but its understandable for them to hold details back

 

[cluciano63]

I think they have the video from the dot cameras that shows the bike being left and nothing else. Jmo.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

Well if they do, they should show it...

 

[CIRCA]

I work at a helicopter company. And Saturday morning we crew changed about 17 people. Just at the one base I work at. It's not as busy as the weekday, but there are still some crew changes on the weekends. Also people who are called up and told to be there at first light.

Please keep an eye out on those parking lots, try to find that truck with the gas cap. Those boys out there make way too much money to be driving that beat up caddy so I doubt they will find that there.

 

[chicken fried]

Good question- I've been meaning to ask Chicken Fried:
Do you think this car is a 2 door or 4 door? I can't tell and know zip about cars.

Looks like a 4-door to me. The trunk would be a little longer and the roof not so far back on a two-door. Wish we had a better pic!

 

[Coldpizza]

To me, this would be a decision made by a criminal profiler with the FBI. This is one of the many resources that the FBI offer in a case like this. I believe that they have the evidence they need to conclude that the bike was ditched and not the body.

I agree and it does give some hope she may be alive. Unfortunately, perps such as this have learned with the times so to speak, especially if they are fairly intelligent and educated. DNA and forensics is common knowledge unless you live on the fringe of society.

IMO, this person has offended before and quite frankly he could be of a serial nature. I hope I'm wrong.

 

[Secrett]

Mod Note: Many thanks to those posting photos. They're very helpful and much appreciated. Just remember that images over 1,000 px wide will blow out the margins. If you have larger photos to share, please post them as attachments. In the attachment window, you can upload an image file directly from your computer or with a link. (Access by clicking the paperclip icon in the edit box.) The photo will show as a thumbnail in your post, and when clicked, will open to full size in a new window or tab. If you need any help with posting, mods will be happy to assist you. :tyou:

thank you! I think I was the one that blew out the margins on the previous thread, now I know what to do instead.

 

[chicken fried]

Just got back from the gas station. Showed some girls Mickey's age the poster I put up earlier, and pointed to my car and said they're looking for a car as big as mine. They said they saw it on Facebook but didn't know it was so big. I may need to change my posters to emphasize its size. I didn't make it up Ambassador Caffery today, but I will tomorrow, and likely tweak the poster of the "Caddy" a bit. Plus I'm going to study it harder tonight to try to rule an Olds in or out.

 

[chicken fried]

Might be a Caddilac Coup deville 1983?

I'll study this later. I want to rule a coupe in or out. Looks like a 4-door to me, but I'm going to double check - Thanks for the link!

 

[Unscripted]

What would make LE know she is not near where the bike was found?
I can't quite see how they can clear such a huge area with a one-day search.

Perhaps the SAR dogs were unable to pick up a scent trail? Or LE has obtained other information that clearly leads them to beleive she is elsewhere?

 

[nutkin]

Sarah Trusty went missing from Algoa, TX, in 2002 while riding her bicycle around 11 PM. The bicycle was found in the foyer of a nearby church. Her body was found 16 days later dumped on a dike in Texas City. She was 23.

Although it happened almost 12 years ago, it is a similar crime and within a reasonable geographic area.

 

[chicken fried]

If the Caddy looked over and saw a young kid or a black person driving the truck, talking to Mickey, etc., that could rule the old dude in or out. The Caddy is key, IMO. It's important. He may have seen nothing. But the roads didn't have many cars, and he may have seen something, too.

 

[msthinksalot]

Respectfully snipped....

BW said she typically drove against traffic, I wonder what changed that night?

...

...don't seem to have any interest in potential witnesses at the gas station...

I was wondering about the gas station as well. The small dark car was in two pics, one with the truck and one with her on her bike. In the photo with the white truck, there is an additional white car in the gas station. It looks like there is a person leaning against the right rear quarter panel of the dark car and another person walking mid-stride behind the white car. Is it telling that investigators have not released information whether or not they have spoken with the people at the gas station and particularly, the people seen in the photo, or am I reading too much into this?

Also... anyone care to venture to guess re: the make/model of cars in the gas station??

RE: riding against traffic - I'm curious about local biking laws. In Oregon we are required to ride with traffic and act, for all intensive purposes, as though we were a car. Is it legal to ride against traffic in LA? I haven't seen the report where her friend said she usually rode against traffic, but I keep seeing it on this board and it just seems strange to me because we receive citations for that here!

At any rate, in the photo, it looks like she is riding in the lane of traffic and not to the side. Are there wide margins or bike lanes on this road?

I believe everything about this case looks sinister, but seeing the position of her bike in these photos does leave a possibility that she could have been struck by a drunk driver. I've had so many close encounters with cars in broad daylight, while riding in a bike lane, that it doesn't seem too far fetched. Though that begs the question, of course if it did happen to be a drunk driving accident, why they didn't just do a hit and run.

 

[whatsthatnoise]

I don't know what the person was thinking, as I am not depraved, but here's another angle. What if we assume it is the truck that hit her. That area of town is rampant with homeless, a lot of which either walk or ride bikes. Perhaps he hit her thinking she was someone that no one would miss?

 

[Isabelle]

Yes, the fact that the search was called off due to a lack of evidence, is indicative of a suspect who was trying to get rid of evidence. Whether there is a link between Whiskey Bay's grizzly history and her bike being found there is speculation. However, the suspect certainly must have dropped the bike and moved on. Wherever LE thinks they may have went, the search will follow. Mickey is still out there somewhere and whoever did this must be brought to justice.... SO FRUSTRATING!

When did the Spring semester end in Lafayette?