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

[nursebeeme]

https://www.facebook.com/pages/FIND-MICKEY-SHUNICK-NOW/334958186573426

sorry if this was already posted (has some great pictures of her with her horse, etc)

 

['Ailina]

C'mon now!!!!!! What are the chances?!?!?! As if it's not heartbreaking enough already!!!!!



Where are you Mickey!?!??!?! Your friends and loved ones are working hard to bring you home!!!!

I know. Unbelievable. Praying for Mickey and doing what I can to get word out.

 

[nursebeeme]

Wilson and the rest of the search party has been canvassing Lafayette with flyers and continues to look for clues that may lead to Shunick’s discovery. Shunick was on a black bike with gold handlebars, wearing a striped pastel shirt, stonewashed jeans, gray shoes and sunglasses. She also had a silver bell on her bike along with multiple bike lights, which Wilson said could have easily fallen off. Shunick has blonde curly hair, is about 5-feet-1 and weighs 115 pounds.

“I don’t think you realize what a special person she is and how many people she has touched,” said Wilson, becoming visibly upset. “I think so many people can attest to what an incredible person Mickey is. She’s just an energetic, vibrant, active person. We just want her back. We want her safe.”

Wilson asked the community to pay attention around the Saint Streets and Congress, and to keep an eye out for Shunick’s bike at pawn shops. Wilson also emphasized reposting and sharing Shunick’s picture on social media websites to help spread the word. Facebook users can find updates on the “FIND MICKEY SHUNICK NOW” page.

http://www.theind.com/news/10545-no-clues-yet-in-shunick-disappearance

 

[Darcyline]

If someone did hit her would there be evidence of it somehow? Or is it an area where a little broken debris would melt in with everything else?

 

[pjcitizen]

I'm hearing there are a LOT of policemen on the ground searching! That's so good to hear.

 

['Ailina]

There is normally a fair amount of foot traffic along that route so hopefully, if there is debris, someone will find it.

But...school's out around here, so there may be fewer pedestrians.

 

[pjcitizen]

Here are her possible routes posted on the facebook group:

 

[pjcitizen]

Not sure why the satellite image isn't showing:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150909776781602&set=o.334958186573426&type=3&theater

They also said she may have went straight to Ambassador from Congress and take a left there.

 

[RachelMarie]

What about skid marks on the road. If someone hit her at some point they would of slammed ont he brakes and you would see skid marks. Or how about any broken tree branches, dents in metal anything at all that looks as though it could have been hit. But then again if whoever it was cleaned up their mess and this area is busy they would have been spotted by someone at some point during the clean up. Is this area a big rest stop area since it is right near the interstate? It would be easy for an overnight trucker driver to see her and grab her and put the bike in the trailer of the truck. Just some thoughts here. Hopefully todays search efforts turn up even a little bit of information if nothing else. MOO

 

[TexasLil]

The friend said he let her out the back of the house so IMO she would be exiting onto Carlin Street. Here is a picture of the back of the house from Carlin. If those bushes are still there someone could have easily ambushed her as soon as she left.

 

[pjcitizen]

http://www.nbc33tv.com/news/local-news/lafayette-police-say-missing-cyclist-is-top-priority

“We’ve deferred a lot of our resources to find this missing girl,” Cpl. Paul Mouton, Lafayette Police Department, said. “We’re using every means necessary to locate her.”

A grass-roots effort was organized over the weekend to try and seek clues to Shunick’s whereabouts. Today, the Lafayette Police Department has increased that effort. Although the case is suspicious, they say they have not found any evidence to support foul play.

Currently officers are canvassing the route Shunick was known to take. As an avid cyclist, it was a path she took several times every week.

 

['Ailina]

Just sent a message to the local Geocachers admin. Hoping they'll spread the word so anyone caching will keep their eyes open while they're out searching town and woods.

 

[pjcitizen]

It's such a big area, even though it might not look like it on the map. There are lots of side streets she could have taken or cut throughs, bike paths, etc. Since she was on a bike instead of car, it's hard to say the exact route to look for debris. It's not really a rest area type area but we do have carnival people in from out of town setting up for a fair and that is on her usual route.

ETA:
Removed maps of area searched, I read it wasn't a good idea to post those in case she is being held.

 

[nursebeeme]

Michaela "Mickey" Shunick, a 22-year-old senior anthropology major at the University of Louisiana, was last seen at about 1:45 a.m. Saturday, when she left a friend's home on Ryan Street in Lafayette.

Nancy Shunick said her daughter's cellphone has not been turned on since Saturday morning.

A private donor, the parent of one of the children to whom Mickey Shunick teaches horseback riding, is offering a $10,000 reward for any information leading to Shunick's whereabouts, no questions asked.

Shunick has a small tattoo of a bicycle on her right outer ankle and a nose ring on her left nostril. She was last seen wearing a pastel striped shirt, light-wash denim skinny jeans and silver ankle boots. She was carrying a light brown leather backpack, a black-and-yellow Vera Bradley wallet, a black Verizon slider phone and a small pink container of pepper spray.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/21/mickey-shunick-missing_n_1533388.html

 

['Ailina]

I'm so proud of Lafayette. Citizens and businesses are all over this.

 

[OldSteve]

Tricky case... would think if someone clipped her bicycle to take her, they would leave the bike since loading it up into a car would take time, hmmm, if a small truck, then could be fast.... may not want to leave bike since it might contain paint from vehicle on it.. seems like too much thinking for a perp who happens upon her spur-of-the-moment... Mace spray wouldn't help much if she was knocked off her bike by car...

Wonder what her relationship was with her BF.... he is in the unenviable position of being last person to see her... do friends verify she normally rode from his house to home that late at night?

 

[queenofcorona]

OldSteve, BW is not her boyfriend, just a close friend. And yes, she has ridden from there to home at that time of night before.

 

[TexasLil]

I wonder if Mickey was a member on any bike forums such as mapmyride or bikely. Users there often post maps of previous bike rides they enjoy.

 

[nursebeeme]

OldSteve, the Huff-po interview with her mom that I linked upstream says she drives but would rather ride her bike...

slightly OT but when we lived in Germany (and other areas that were friendly to bikes) I NEVER drove.. ever... My car sat in front of my house. (we only drove if we were shopping so much it wouldn't fit in my baskets or if we were going out of town.. but then we always took the bikes with).. I even rode my bike to work.

 

[nursebeeme]

queenofcorona, I also see she is a senior... was she set to graduate this spring or was she just entering her senior year?