LA - Mickey Shunick, 21, Lafayette 19 May 2012 - #31

[Allusonz]

Originally Posted by bessie

The Whiskey Bay bridge is actually part of the Atchafalaya Basin bridge which is 18 miles long. It's a couple of miles from the WB bridge to the east end of the Atchafalaya bridge. ChickenFried has shared excellent photos with us.

LA LA -Mickey Shunic: MAPS AND PHOTOS, No Discussion - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community

bessie there are no longer any pictures at the link just a FYI type of thing.

[justwannahelp]

Originally Posted by Allusonz

LE will never release the forensic results. Period. Full Stop.

Don't expect it as it won't happen.

That is saved for trial.

i get that, but it seems like the right thing to do would be to tell the people, we've got some evidence, we are working hard, we are going to find this guy etc. SOMETHING. i just don't understand it.

also, to anyone in the baton rouge area: there are hardly any fliers here, at least I'm not seeing them. if you have time, try to hang some wherever you go.

[Londonrraine]

Thank you for the "welcome!"

I've been wondering about the bike test results, as it's been about a month now....they must have something. I read that searchers and divers returned to Whiskey Bay last week, and I 'figured' this was a result of whatever the forensics on that bike turned up. Who knows? But they had to have divers return there for some reason.
Poor girl,...I hope and pray for her.

[:+:MrTT:+:]

Originally Posted by JBean

Do we know where in the water as it relates to the length of the bridge the bike was found? IOW, was it in the middle of the bridge or closer to one side or the other?

It was always my speculation it was more towards the middle. But with the current being strong it could have pushed it closer to shore, which would give LEOs the impression he backed down towards the water in his truck, and tossed it in. When It was found, if I remember correctly, they were not able to search as well as they wanted do to the current. After several days it could have pushed it closer to shore. Though I am only speculating on that.

[Allusonz]

Originally Posted by NewYork625

There are personality types that get an adrenaline rush by taking extreme risks that the rest of us would never consider taking. Someone on this board posted a while back that while they were in college they stopped on that bridge and they all got out of the car and danced in the street late at night. He said he realized they were taking a chance, but it must be possible.

I would seriously have to ask how many years ago.

[Allusonz]

Originally Posted by justwannahelp

i get that, but it seems like the right thing to do would be to tell the people, we've got some evidence, we are working hard, we are going to find this guy etc. SOMETHING. i just don't understand it.

also, to anyone in the baton rouge area: there are hardly any fliers here, at least I'm not seeing them. if you have time, try to hang some wherever you go.

They may state other info but they will not tell you DNA results, or any other forensic results regarding fibers, paint etc.

The only time you will hear that is at trial.

It is not even up for debate they simply can't release that info....

Criminals have a right to a fair trial. Until a suspect is found and it is released to the defense depending on the laws like in Florida you might get the release of some info but not the best info.

[kgeaux]

Originally Posted by :+:MrTT:+:

It was always my speculation it was more towards the middle. But with the current being strong it could have pushed it closer to shore, which would give LEOs the impression he backed down towards the water in his truck, and tossed it in. When It was found, if I remember correctly, they were not able to search as well as they wanted do to the current. After several days it could have pushed it closer to shore. Though I am only speculating on that.

I don't think any LEO thinks that the person who tossed the bike backed up towards the water. There is a very sharp dropoff, and if he stopped at the top of the drop off and threw the bike, it probably would have landed on land....I think Chickenfried's theory was the simplest and best explanation, the guy walked around the bridge supports and threw the bike from there.

I miss ChickenFried, btw!

[mahmoo]

Originally Posted by :+:MrTT:+:

It was always my speculation it was more towards the middle. But with the current being strong it could have pushed it closer to shore, which would give LEOs the impression he backed down towards the water in his truck, and tossed it in. When It was found, if I remember correctly, they were not able to search as well as they wanted do to the current. After several days it could have pushed it closer to shore. Though I am only speculating on that.

The bike was found directly under the bridge about 30 feet or less from east bank of the Pilot Channel. The water is relatively calm in the PC and there is not much of a current generally.

[gngr~snap]

Originally Posted by Foxfire

'Antiquated SOPs and strategies of Silence which have traditionally been used by LE since early in the last century'.. The same strategy utilized by many LEAs across the US that are causing more innocent victims lives lost and mounting cold cases.

"The Silent Epidemic of the Missing/Murdered across the US which now exceeds over 100,000 persons due to squandering the most valuable resource in missing persons investigations; the American public"..

Knock knock LE??? It is 2012! NOT 1950!!!
This is probably a thought that will drop DEAD in the water! (no pun intended!) WHY? WHY? WHY? In this "digital age" is LE still using telephones, answering machines and phone tag?
LE should be stetting up a website for each case of missing people so we the public can give tips to the investigators. They could post 1 or 2 people to evaluate what tips are worth looking into and which are not! All they would have to do is print out the post and hand it off to the investigators to then pursue the lead.
(Like an e-mail)... nothing that would be seen by anyone other than the department... Yeah they should keep the phone tip line as well... but it sure sounds like it might expedite the process of gathering info! ~ maybe not...
I know changing things takes work, but in light of cutbacks it just seems more effective to me!

Originally Posted by Donamena

Not easy..not much room to toss w/little shoulder to bridge. Too much traffic, even at night. It's a major h'way..lots of questionable people driving back & forth, cross country. Big risk to take.imo

How hard would it really be to... s l o w d o w n... and toss "whatever" from a moving truck pickup bed or a mini-van from the sliding side door?
maybe too much traffic and risky due to another vehicle witnessing it...

[bessie]

Originally Posted by :+:MrTT:+:

If your car breaks down on the I10. What do you do?
You call a wrecker yes?

Many years ago, long before cell phones, I lived in Lafayette for awhile and would travel back and forth to New Orleans pretty frequently. I always had a fear of breaking down on the AB bridge. Sure enough, I left Lafayette one afternoon and broke down a few miles from the on ramp. What to do???? Got out and opened the hood praying that a state trooper would come along. Nope. Just a truck driver who offered to drive me to a service station at the exit. My only other option was to wait for a trooper and risk being knocked off the bridge by an oncoming car. Walking was pretty much out of the question. Fortunately for me the truck driver was a decent person. He brought me to the station, but then I had to travel with the wrecker all the way to the west side and back east to pick up my car. A friend picked me up, and I returned to Lafayette until my car was fixed the next day. I was an attractive 22 year old woman at the time, and very lucky.

[:+:MrTT:+:]

Originally Posted by kgeaux

You probably wouldn't believe how awful it is to break down on that bridge! If someone wrecks or stalls ahead of you, and they can't manage to pull over to the shoulder, the whole bridge is shut down in that direction, usually by traffic that just has to come to a complete halt after the wreck. Even if you manage to pull over to the shoulder (and not all areas have shoulders) you are on a shoulder that is barely as wide as your car, so you are incredibly close to cars and trucks flying by.....don't stick your head out the window, that's some good advice.

A tow truck usually has to come from the opposite direction---and this is a divided highway, with a big drop down to open water or swamp land in between. Turnarounds have been added, but they are blockaded closed and can only be opened by police, so you have to wait for LE and the tow truck to show up, open the turnaround,and wait more time for them to get to you, hook you up and tow you out of there. It literally can take HOURS.

I personally know of two car stalls which resulted in the deaths of all the occupants of the vehicles when they were slammed into by eighteen wheelers traveling at well over the speed limit.

So there is a shoulder on that bridge? Though very narrow. But at 2 215 am in the morning it is conceivable that someone could park there for no more than 10 15 seconds to get out and toss the bike and then leave in a hurry. What is your opinion on that?

And thank you for the details, I could see everything well as you described it to us.

[Donamena]

Originally Posted by jujube

I'm sorry but I don't know the post you're referring. Would you quote it or post the page number for me so that I can see it? Thanks

Right above yours, #1337. She hasn't posted in a long while, just wondering what she meant.

Hi Mrs Bean, you're the first person I've ever welcomed but I don't know how to do the smileys well. We need fresh eyes & heads here.

[Donamena]

Originally Posted by :+:MrTT:+:

So there is a shoulder on that bridge? Though very narrow. But at 2 215 am in the morning it is conceivable that someone could park there for no more than 10 15 seconds to get out and toss the bike and then leave in a hurry. What is your opinion on that?

And thank you for the details, I could see everything well as you described it to us.

Think it would take longer than that, & Friday night is big night for caravans of car from car sales to Mexico. Heavy traffic on both sides. I would take one heck of an ice-cold person w/ nerves of steel to do it in the dark.

[Foxfire]

Originally Posted by Allusonz

LE will never release the forensic results. Period. Full Stop.

Don't expect it as it won't happen.

That is saved for trial.

Allusonz, 'luv your optimism'..

[GrannyA.]

Originally Posted by Donamena

]
Juju, what do you think of fairest' earlier post, Mrs B caught it, I forgot to respond. Not sure she expected me to since I was a bit testy w/ her once...what seems like sooo long ago?
It's an odd, quick post, no posting later??

Im not Juju but....
I am thinking that she said it was lonesome in here because there aren't alot of people here, like there was a while ago. If that is the post you are referring to.

[Allusonz]

Originally Posted by Foxfire

Allusonz, 'luv your optimism'..

I love my asylum and being blonde helps

[cajuncatholicmama]

I have been lurking for weeks. I keep waiting to hear something...anything... Keep going back to the local thing...people talk too much here. Everybody is all up in everybody's business. I find it unbelievable that somebody hasn't blabbed enough to head this investigation in a direction...other than in a circle or just plain stalled.

[jujube]

Originally Posted by Donamena

Right above yours, #1337. She hasn't posted in a long while, just wondering what she meant.

Hi Mrs Bean, you're the first person I've ever welcomed but I don't know how to do the smileys well. We need fresh eyes & heads here.

Ok, I just took it to mean the boards were quiet.

[reedus23]

Originally Posted by TheTruthWillOut

Sorry A.C.I, could you elaborate? What is the civil rights issue and what methods do you speak of?

I know where I am it is one of the hot topics regarding civil rights and/or constitutional issues. The constitutional issues can be complex and rather boring, but parts of it center on the right to privacy. A quick story about red light cameras, here they are not supposed to film the driver, only the vehicle and plates. It wasn't always that way. As the story goes, the cameras used to film the occupants too when issuing the tickets until one of the politicians that pushed for the cameras was filmed. The problems arose when the other occupant also filmed turned out to be his mistress. Go figure, all of a sudden both sides of the argument agree that there are constitutional issues and the cameras no longer film the occupants (supposedly). Could be urban myth like many stories, but suffice it to say there are many attorneys that are challenging the constitutionality of many of these cameras based on what they are doing, much less with what they might be doing.

[:+:MrTT:+:]

Originally Posted by jujube

If you look at Google maps and type in Lafayette, go to the right. You'll see Sherburne National Forest at Exit 127. That's the exit and the bike was found in the water near the highway supports.

Thank you for mentioning that. I am looking at it now.
And that is the first exit after leaving Lafayette yes?...Seems way to risky.

If someone was night fishing around there at the time they could have seen the activity....So I ask myself which is the quickest way to get rid of the bike especially if I have the girl with me...Take that exit, and then go up north a little, then drive down or back down to the edge of the water and toss it in. Or do I stop for 10 seconds or less on the bridge and toss it in?

I am going to follow that map to the other exists going east on I10 towards Baton Rouge to see the terrain. If they discarded other evidence along the route at the other exits, it would be the same way. Take the exit dump it and get back on I10 and get out of the area fast.

[mahmoo]

Originally Posted by :+:MrTT:+:

So there is a shoulder on that bridge? Though very narrow. But at 2 215 am in the morning it is conceivable that someone could park there for no more than 10 15 seconds to get out and toss the bike and then leave in a hurry. What is your opinion on that?

And thank you for the details, I could see everything well as you described it to us.

Attached screenshot of Whiskey Bay bridge. No shoulder basically.

[jujube]

Originally Posted by :+:MrTT:+:

Thank you for mentioning that. I am looking at it now.
And that is the first exit after leaving Lafayette yes?...Seems way to risky.

If someone was night fishing around there at the time they could have seen the activity....So I ask myself which is the quickest way to get rid of the bike especially if I have the girl with me...Take that exit, and then go up north a little, then drive down or back down to the edge of the water and toss it in. Or do I stop for 10 seconds or less on the bridge and toss it in?

I am going to follow that map to the other exists going east on I10 towards Baton Rouge to see the terrain. If they discarded other evidence along the route at the other exits, it would be the same way. Take the exit dump it and get back on I10 and get out of the area fast.

No, it's the second exit. The first is exit 121.

[reedus23]

Originally Posted by cajuncatholicmama

I have been lurking for weeks. I keep waiting to hear something...anything... Keep going back to the local thing...people talk too much here. Everybody is all up in everybody's business. I find it unbelievable that somebody hasn't blabbed enough to head this investigation in a direction...other than in a circle or just plain stalled.

From an outsider's perspective, the problem might be that there is so much blabbing. If I had to guess (and hope), the right leads, the right "blabbing" has been done. The problem is, not knowing which "blabbing" is the right one and eliminating all of the other "blabbing" until you do get to the right one. But with so much of it, it means there's that much more to eliminate. After all, if they don't eliminate it, I can about guarantee a defense attorney will use it at trial to cast doubt on his client's guilt. Hopefully that is what LE is doing now, after all that is part of their job.

[Foxfire]

Originally Posted by gngr~snap

[/b]
Knock knock LE??? It is 2012! NOT 1950!!!
This is probably a thought that will drop DEAD in the water! (no pun intended!) WHY? WHY? WHY? In this "digital age" is LE still using telephones, answering machines and phone tag?
LE should be stetting up a website for each case of missing people so we the public can give tips to the investigators. They could post 1 or 2 people to evaluate what tips are worth looking into and which are not! All they would have to do is print out the post and hand it off to the investigators to then pursue the lead.
(Like an e-mail)... nothing that would be seen by anyone other than the department... Yeah they should keep the phone tip line as well... but it sure sounds like it might expedite the process of gathering info! ~ maybe not...
I know changing things takes work, but in light of cutbacks it just seems more effective to me!


How hard would it really be to... s l o w d o w n... and toss "whatever" from a moving truck pickup bed or a mini-van from the sliding side door?
maybe too much traffic and risky due to another vehicle witnessing it...

I agree, the process of tip processing by many LEAs is antiquated; “a train wreck in slow motion”..& is not an issue that cropped up since Mickey Schunick's tragedy. Crime isn't 9 to 5 M-F.. Public Safety is 24/7 365..

http://jebbowdoin.wordpress.com/2012...-inadequate-2/

2010 The Associated Press.

WASHINGTON — A $170 million computer overhaul intended to give FBI agents and analysts an instantaneous and paperless way to manage criminal and terrorism cases is headed back to the drawing board, probably at a much steeper cost to taxpayers.

The FBI is hoping to salvage some parts of the project, known as Virtual Case File. But officials acknowledged Thursday that it is possible the entire system, designed by Science Applications International Corp. of San Diego, is so inadequate and outdated that one will have to be built from scratch.

<modsnip>

[Donamena]

Originally Posted by :+:MrTT:+:

Thank you for mentioning that. I am looking at it now.
And that is the first exit after leaving Lafayette yes?...Seems way to risky.

If someone was night fishing around there at the time they could have seen the activity....So I ask myself which is the quickest way to get rid of the bike especially if I have the girl with me...Take that exit, and then go up north a little, then drive down or back down to the edge of the water and toss it in. Or do I stop for 10 seconds or less on the bridge and toss it in?

I am going to follow that map to the other exists going east on I10 towards Baton Rouge to see the terrain. If they discarded other evidence along the route at the other exits, it would be the same way. Take the exit dump it and get back on I10 and get out of the area fast.

If you're local, there are hundreds of other places, not so risky. Much easier for a night drop. The fact that it's WB makes me think local playing w/ people. Someone else would find it far too difficult at night, uncertain terrain, possibility of being hit by a truck going over 60 like they're not supposed to..JMO