LA - Mickey Shunick, 21, Lafayette, 19 May 2012 - #1

Phobia said:

Yea if you guys are familiar where Ryan street is at, that area is not an area I wanna be at night. Much less at 2am!! From Ryan till Bertrand is all suspect area.

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I agree. Also, from the interview about her bike route, she might have cut through from Congress to Guilbeau to cut through the neighborhoods there to get to Ambassador. I seem to remember some rumors of women getting attacked right there by Chargois Park and that apartment building (is it Bell Downs?) behind Meche's Donut King. The convenience store on the corner (on the left) I think is open all night and the Shop Rite on the right is also 24/7.

I also want to show just how rough this area is. Lafayette we all know is not a violent dangerous town, but the Northside is not nice. These are murders I am aware of have happened in the last couple years.

A = Guy was robbed at the teller and shot and killed.
B = Body was found behind Piggly Wiggly
C = Little store was robbed, guy was shot in head.
D = Cig store was robbed at gun point
E = Body was found behind apartment.
H = Would of been her location.

Everything north of her location would of been extremely dangerous area for a young pretty white girl to be riding a bike at 2am. So with that said, I think it could also be highly plausible she could of been subject to a random act of violence by someone who saw a opportunity. The homeless shelter and free dinner is also just couple blocks from that location.

I agree that even though Lafayette is a generally safe city, there are bad areas such as the north side and the four corners area near the beginning of her route, if she ever left 100 Ryan street. I wish I believed that she was just hiding out somewhere or was accidentally killed by a driver but it doesn't seem plausible to me.

There are also people traveling through the city and many rural areas close by, not to mention the carnival which brings more people through the area.

EBR said:

There are about 7 police cars and a k-9 unit on Verot School road right now. Don't know if it's related but with that many police cars and a k-9 unit it could very well be.

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Where on verot?

And yes that area of congress there are a few questionable apartment complexes / living areas, plus I have heard that park isnt safe at night.

bekind said:

Where on verot?

And yes that area of congress there are a few questionable apartment complexes / living areas, plus I have heard that park isnt safe at night.

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By youngsville city limits

I was a longtime cyclist, lived for years without a car and have ridden hundreds of time at night through different cities. I'm a guy who never really worried about getting attacked but, looking back on it, there were a couple of times where I was vulnerable.

One time I was riding through a rough neighborhood and there was a large group of guys hanging around outside a house, on the sidewalk. A couple of guys saw me coming and jumped out in front of me, trying to scare me. I actually went back and confronted them about it, but that's another story. Anyway, if somebody sees you coming they can surprise you, especially if you aren't going too fast.

Another thing is wrecking. I've hit holes in the road at night before, even on lighted streets, and even in a bike lane. Not just potholes but sometimes there are holes used for utility access than you can't see at night like you do in the daytime. Once you wreck you are vulnerable.

Also I agree that her bike would probably get stolen if somebody took her and left her bike behind. If you leave an unattended or unlocked bike in the city, somebody will come along and snatch it.

The LHS sighting can't be confirmed. I figured as much.

From the sister, CS on the facebook group:

Everyone: we have heard absolutely nothing about official sightings of mickey. please stop spreading rumors. we appreciate everything you're doing but all this talking without the facts isn't helping anything. love you guys.

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Phobia said:

True, but would you let your sister/wife ride a bike at 2am all the way across town? Logically if my girlfriend was over at 2am, I would of found a way to fit her bike in my backseat of my car. Now, I have a truck and maybe BW does also, but hypothetically speaking worse case scenario he has a car you could still fit the bike in the backseat some way.

I wouldn't allow her to ride alone on a bike at 2am all the way across town. Plus both of them know bikes well enough to dismantle it to travel with.

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I wouldn't let a friend ride their bike @ 2 AM. I would insist on driving them. I wouldn't let a friend of mine ride a bike to a grocery store 1/4 of a mile from my house. I've driven my kid to his friend's house just a couple of streets over before. Maybe if she just did it so frequently and REFUSED a ride home so often that he stopped offering, but I just can't see letting a petite female friend of mine get on a bike and ride four miles @ night. I would honestly INSIST on driving her. You could find a way to get a bike in the backseat or the trunk, even if you had to use string. You could also bring it to her the next day.

I, too, think that if she were abducted and her bike left behind someone may have picked it up/stole it; however, I would think that if someone found it and took it and then later found out it was hers and she was missing, I would LIKE to think they would come forward and inform LE. If it were me and I saw the bike and picked it up (which I would never do, BTW), I would much rather turn it over and clear my name as opposed to someone seeing or figuring out I have it in my possession.

Also, her sister did post on the FB page and said there have been no official sightings of her. I'm assuming that includes camera sightings, but she didn't specifically say.

EBR said:

By youngsville city limits

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well i checked www.lafayette911.org to make sure there wasnt an accident or fire near the location, so that eliminates that. Wonder what is going on?! Im hoping for some miracle for Mickey and family.

CCK said:

I wouldn't let a friend ride their bike @ 2 AM. I would insist on driving them. I wouldn't let a friend of mine ride a bike to a grocery store 1/4 of a mile from my house. I've driven my kid to his friend's house just a couple of streets over before. Maybe if she just did it so frequently and REFUSED a ride home so often that he stopped offering, but I just can't see letting a petite female friend of mine get on a bike and ride four miles @ night. I would honestly INSIST on driving her. You could find a way to get a bike in the backseat or the trunk, even if you had to use string. You could also bring it to her the next day.

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Exactly!!

~n/t~ said:

Why would a drunk driver scoop up her body and dispose of her elsewhere? Wouldn't it be easier just to leave her there.....especially if he/she was impaired? Have there been any cases where this has happened?
I've read about hit and runs but never a case where someone would pick up the injured or dead person and dispose of them elsewhere.

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I tend to agree with this.

But someone could've accidentally hit her and not been drunk, and thought if no one had seen anything, they'd grab all the evidence (girl & bike) and go.

My issue with that, though, is wouldn't they have likely seen some blood (I would think maybe a semi-substantial amount?? Doesn't seem like she wore a helmet or pads to bike) on the ground along her path if she had been hit?? I would imagine if a bike gets hit by a car the bike is going down and the person is at least getting thrown a little, and getting injured. I know its rained now, but they had been checking the paths days before the rain.

LanieCoz said:

I, too, think that if she were abducted and her bike left behind someone may have picked it up/stole it; however, I would think that if someone found it and took it and then later found out it was hers and she was missing, I would LIKE to think they would come forward and inform LE. If it were me and I saw the bike and picked it up (which I would never do, BTW), I would much rather turn it over and clear my name as opposed to someone seeing or figuring out I have it in my possession.

Also, her sister did post on the FB page and said there have been no official sightings of her. I'm assuming that includes camera sightings, but she didn't specifically say.

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Also, I think they've alerted & been checking pawn shops for anyone who would've wanted to take the bike & pawn it for money.

But yeah, I would think (because they said the bike is one of 2 or 3 like it around the city- how BW knew that, I don't know...but he said it) if someone took it, then saw this info, that they would turn it in and tell LE where they found the bike or what they might've seen. They would probably be way less likely to face a crime bc then LE might have something to go on (like where the bike was found...)

CCK said:

Also, I think they've alerted & been checking pawn shops for anyone who would've wanted to take the bike & pawn it for money.

But yeah, I would think (because they said the bike is one of 2 or 3 like it around the city- how BW knew that, I don't know...but he said it) if someone took it, then saw this info, that they would turn it in and tell LE where they found the bike or what they might've seen. They would probably be way less likely to face a crime bc then LE might have something to go on (like where the bike was found...)

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Good point about the pawn shops. The thing about her bike is that it looks like it's a fixed gear. That means the pedals always turn when it's moving, so the average person is not going to be able to hop on it and ride off. It takes a little practice to learn how to ride it.

But I don't think that some creep who just came upon it would think about turning it into LE (those types hate police) or even be aware that it's the bike of a missing girl (probably doesn't pay attention to the news). He would just spraypaint it and try to ride it, or, like you said, try to pawn it or sell it to someone else. People should be on the lookout for somebody unusual riding a fixed gear (it's easy to spot because there is no derailleur hanging off the back wheel like a normal multiple gear bike). You can see in picture here that the chain only goes right around the inside of the back wheel.

Especially with ya'll new ones, if a new location or name or whatever enters the picture, if you would go down on the page to "edit tags," click on that, and add it, it would be much appreciated. I'm about out of edits I can do after putting several on.

Chili Fries,
Yes it is a fixed gear.
I posted a link above to the radio interview of BW and he went into detail about her bike.

JMO

wfgodot said:

Especially with ya'll new ones, if a new location or name or whatever enters the picture, if you would go down on the page to "edit tags," click on that, and add it, it would be much appreciated. I'm about out of edits I can do after putting several on.

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I have been here for other trials and missing persons but never knew this. Good idea.

I'm sitting here looking at my son's fixed-gear. I hadn't really paid attention to the differences before, but now I see.... It would stand out to someone who knows bikes.

And you're right -- it does take practice. Not something just anyone could hop on.

Long time lurker first time poster here, hope I'm doing this right. I have been following this thread as it feels close to home for me. I'm 25 now, but when I was 21 and in college (and even younger) I would ride my bike and walk all over town at all hours not really thinking of the possible dangers. I think if it's something you're used to doing you get into a comfort zone and aren't always as aware as you should be. I think that was probably the case here.

I also think it's unfair to be placing any blame on this young man she was with, at least at this point. I had many male friends when I was younger. Plenty of them let me walk or ride my bike home in the middle of the night. Not just because I wanted to, but also because like me, they had a sense of comfort within the area and it probably never crossed their minds that anything bad would possibly happen to me.

I'm sure if this young lady had wanted a ride and her friend had a car (does he even have a car?) that he would not have turned her down. Beyond that, she is an adult and can make her own decisions about transportation. Was he supposed to demand she stay the night or accept a ride if she wanted to go home?

I would also like to comment on a reply some pages back but can't find it now, it was regarding their visit to Taco Bell. This poster seemed to think it strange or suspicious that the friend said they had been to Taco Bell because they are vegan. I'm a vegan and have been for many years. You can get several vegan items at Taco Bell; Fresco bean burritos and tacos with beans instead of meat, chips & salsa and cinnamon twists. Taco Bell has been a live saver for me during road trips and late night when nothing else was open.

That's all I got, all MOO of course. Wish I had more useful insights. Hoping Mickey is found safe...

:seeya: