LA - Mickey Shunick, 21, Lafayette, 19 May 2012 - #2

[Pensfan]

When I read that about Mickey's dad leaving his home at 2:30 that morning, all I could think was, that poor man. He is probably driving himself insane trying to remember if he could have seen something or if he just missed his daughter along her route. With everything this family is going through, this is just another sad detail and IMO, another circumstance that is just adding "insult to injury."

Prayers for Mickey and her family...

He was called out to the rig for some type of urgent need. He had not planned to be called out to the rig. He is a geologist. I can only guess that he was checking samples to assist the driller or his company supplies rigs/maintains rigs with required EPA devices as stated on his internet site.

 

[LafayetteMom]

First post here! I read up to page 11 earlier then registered, but had to leave. Now I came back after putting kiddos to bed and had lots more to read!

FWIW, I'm not trying to saying anything harsh about TS or his wife - all that I was really saying was that I didn't understand why Mickey's mother didn't call him directly (or Mickey's sister, brother, or friend) to tell him about her disappearance.

From my understanding, they tried and tried and weren't able to get in touch with him, so finally they had to resort to email. It's not uncommon for the job. Also not uncommon to be called out in the middle of the night. Even on your son's high school graduation day, unfortunately.

I don't know BW and I had suspicions at first too. I admit I was mean mugging him yesterday at his house during the search efforts. (Mahmoo I met you there also--knew right away who you were here when you mentioned your daughter and her sorrority since we talked about that) There was gossip amongst volunteers just like the stuff here and on FB. But really after hearing what LE had to say I think he's in the clear. People were nitpicking the poor little boy apart. I wanted to jump in say, he probably didn't want anything from Taco Bell b/c he's a vegan and even though there are vegan options there, some people who are really dedicated to eating healthy just don't want anything from a fast food joint no matter what. You don't REALLY know what's in that junk!

 

[Dum-Dum Sucker]

Question: Was Mickey's brother's graduation held Saturday evening? Or during the afternoon on Saturday??

TIA

 

[pjcitizen]

just a whisper....Did anyone's hackles go up when Mr. S said he backed out of his driveway at about 2:30AM Sat. morning? Then he flew home Sat. night. :waitasec:

Forgive me. When you work on a rig can't you schedule a day off for your son's graduation from high school? :waitasec:

Being from here, I didn't find this strange at all. My friends with offshore workers for husbands are often praying that they don't miss a birth or special occasion and they do often miss holidays. They also don't get much contact with them and it is VERY common to get called out in the middle of the night. My thought when I heard this was... he was so close and so far at the same time

 

[pjcitizen]

This gave me chills and a sinking feeling at the same time. I finally realized something I'm sure others have been thinking.

CS (MS's sister) has the same phone as MS and says it has a long battery life and was surprised when MS's phone seemed to be dead on Sat. morning because of the long battery life. If this was a hit and run or accident and we just haven't found her yet because of being hidden by natural brush or water, then the phone should have still been on and working that morning. So *somebody* turned it off.

 

[Pensfan]

Welcome to Websleuths, Lindsayw!
:welcome:

 

[Pensfan]

This gave me chills and a sinking feeling at the same time. I finally realized something I'm sure others have been thinking.

CS (MS's sister) has the same phone as MS and says it has a long battery life and was surprised when MS's phone seemed to be dead on Sat. morning because of the long battery life. If this was a hit and run or accident and we just haven't found her yet because of being hidden by natural brush or water, then the phone should have still been on and working that morning. So *somebody* turned it off.

Yes, someone turned it off and hid all of her belongings including a large bike. Nothing has been found. Since she wasn't reported missing to LE until 15-16 hours later, someone had a long time to dispose of her backpack, mace, cellphone, and bike.

 

[Secrett]

First post here! I read up to page 11 earlier then registered, but had to leave. Now I came back after putting kiddos to bed and had lots more to read!



From my understanding, they tried and tried and weren't able to get in touch with him, so finally they had to resort to email. It's not uncommon for the job. Also not uncommon to be called out in the middle of the night. Even on your son's high school graduation day, unfortunately.

I don't know BW and I had suspicions at first too. I admit I was mean mugging him yesterday at his house during the search efforts. (Mahmoo I met you there also--knew right away who you were here when you mentioned your daughter and her sorrority since we talked about that) There was gossip amongst volunteers just like the stuff here and on FB. But really after hearing what LE had to say I think he's in the clear. People were nitpicking the poor little boy apart. I wanted to jump in say, he probably didn't want anything from Taco Bell b/c he's a vegan and even though there are vegan options there, some people who are really dedicated to eating healthy just don't want anything from a fast food joint no matter what. You don't REALLY know what's in that junk!

Welcome to websleuths Lindsayw! Great first post- always helps to hear from the locals.

:wagon:

 

[LafayetteMom]

It's disturbing to think people searching would actually try to bag potential evidence but I'm sure most people aren't aware of protocol in those situations. There are a LOT of people (general public) in the area doing their own private searches. Our team instructions were that if we came upon something that looked like it could be potential evidence to keep everyone at least 10 feet away, call 911 immediately and to stay in the area until LE arrived.

Ditto. To my knowledge, none of our search parties found any evidence regardless...but we were instructed NOT to touch/move anything if we did.

New here and trying to absorb all this, so feel free to fill me in where I'm wrong. BW and MS leave a bar, MS saying she doesn't feel good, is tired and hungry. If I read it somewhere I don't remember but I assume that was relatively late. They go back to BW's house, get in his car, go to Taco Bell, go back to BW's house, eat, MS leaves on her bike at 2 am. I've never been to Lafayette so I certainly don't know the area and there may be more than one Taco Bell, but on the map someone posted regarding the likely route, I saw a Taco Bell at about the halfway point to MS's home. The thing that just doesn't make sense to me is if MS is sick, tired and hungry and the Taco Bell is already halfway home, wouldn't it seem more likely that she would have just gotten the food and gone home to eat since she's sick and tired and heck, already half way there. Obviously, it doesn't mean they didn't go back to his house after Taco Bell, it just doesn't make sense when you're almost already at her front door step anyways.

Think this was already cleared up, but the TB they went to is the campus one, which is right near Artmosphere, his house, etc, not near her house.

 

[LafayetteMom]

Welcome to websleuths Lindsayw! Great first post- always helps to hear from the locals.

:wagon:

Actually I was here about 10 years ago during this case: [ame="http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6735"]Ward Weaver - alleged murderer of Ashley and Miranda - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community[/ame] and hadn't thought about this place in years, but when I met Mahmoo and she mentioned the site I wanted to come check it out. Back then I was in college (same school Mickey goes to) and got really sucked into a couple cases--especially Ashley and Miranda's, and kinda distanced myself from it all for a long time. But now that we have FB, you have no choice really, everything is in your face, all day everyday. With something so local to me, I just had to get involved and help out any way I could. I searched yesterday and today, going to put up flyers tomorrow.

 

[GulfCoastKAT]

just a whisper....Did anyone's hackles go up when Mr. S said he backed out of his driveway at about 2:30AM Sat. morning? Then he flew home Sat. night. :waitasec:

Forgive me. When you work on a rig can't you schedule a day off for your son's graduation from high school? :waitasec:

Forgive me if this has been answered already. My husband works offshore on a rig on a rotational schedule. It's not always possible to request a day off. They are usually scheduled to work or weeks at a time. My husband has missed so many important things that he would have loved to be here for but unless it's an emergency, the company will not pay for the very expensive travel back home. They get to the rigs by helicopter so you could imagine trying to accommodate everyone's requested time off wouldn't be financially in the best interest of the company. If I have an emergency, I can't pick up the phone and call my husband. Phone service in the Gulf of Mexico is terrible. I have a contact # to his company and I can email him with any communication.

 

[Kaliste]

Often not. My husband used to work offshore, and he missed many, many important occasions because he was on a rig. Sometimes you schedule time off, then something happens and you still have to go. It's an awful way to live, one many people in southern Louisiana understand

My husband does the same. I really, really hurt for Lafayette right now. Some of the warmest, most welcoming people I've ever been blessed to meet! I wish I could fly out and help with the searches, and maybe have some seafood gumbo.

 

[Frogzilla]

One of my first thoughts last Saturday was how quickly an abductor could have jumped on I-10 and been out of the state in no time, with or without Mickey. I'm not ready to give up hope yet, though.

If the intent was to hightail it out of town, I think the bike would've been left behind. There would be no need to take it along. In fact, it would be foolish to carry along a large piece of evidence that could link him to a crime, the victim notwithstanding. Much smarter to grab the target and run. Since the bike apparently was taken with Mickey, I tend to think the perp lives in the vicinity of the abduction and doesn't want evidence found close to home. JMO

I agree and I feel very similarly about the cell phone. It is possible someone may have grabbed the bike while abducting her and that is why it had to come along, but the phone is more interesting to me at the moment. LE should be able to get a better idea of what happened, at least a narrower timeline and list of possibilities, just by figuring out when and where her phone stopped pinging.
LE has not said much of anything so far and there are many possibilities here, so hopefully tomorrow LE can share some bits of info to give this case some direction.

 

[Kaliste]

Forgive me if this has been answered already. My husband works offshore on a rig on a rotational schedule. It's not always possible to request a day off. They are usually scheduled to work or weeks at a time. My husband has missed so many important things that he would have loved to be here for but unless it's an emergency, the company will not pay for the very expensive travel back home. They get to the rigs by helicopter so you could imagine trying to accommodate everyone's requested time off wouldn't be financially in the best interest of the company. If I have an emergency, I can't pick up the phone and call my husband. Phone service in the Gulf of Mexico is terrible. I have a contact # to his company and I can email him with any communication.

Yes, this exactly. And something always comes up delaying them longer. Always. It's not an easy life.

 

[GulfCoastKAT]

When you work on an oil rig, depending on your position, you are on call. Rigs blow out, they have special engineers and preventionists that fly out on very short notice at all hours of the night. I do not know what her father does, but leaving for a rig at 2:30 in the morning sounds like they needed his help. Course a friend is a blow out well preventionist. He would get yanked from his home at anytime they deemed it necessary, no matter what was on his agenda for the day.

For Mickey, her family and friends, much Light, love, prayers and hope.

He said he left at 2:30am to go to Houma, LA to catch a helicopter offshore. That is approximately 2 hours from Lafayette and sound right for crew change time. My husband usually has to be at the heliport for 5-6am.

 

[who knew?]

I imagine this has been answered, but haven't seen it. I think I may be missing something here. If I understand correctly - she rode her bike from her home? to where? Not the nightclub? And she left the nightclub with her friend - she was tired and hungry (where is the bike?) and they went to Taco Bell to get food. Then back to his house to eat. She was tired and it was 2 am, and her "good" friend let her ride her bike home instead of driving her there. Is this a common practice in this area?

 

[jessien{N}jess23]

still praying day an night lease:lease:lease:

 

[mahmoo]

(Mahmoo I met you there also--knew right away who you were here when you mentioned your daughter and her sorrority since we talked about that)

Hi lindsay:seeya: so glad you joined WS again and that you were able to join the search again today (yesterday now). I really want to continue to help searching but we're getting ready to go out of town for a week. Hopefully Mickey is located before I leave or at least before I get back to town. If she's not found by then I do plan to volunteer again as soon as I return ... maybe we'll meet up again.

 

[bessie]

Interesting - tomorrow I'll have to look up half of the words that describe what he does. Seems as if he'd be his own boss though. Why a business meeting in the middle of the night? Just asking.

If he was called out in the middle of the night, it was not for a typical "business meeting". First and foremost, Mr. S is a paleontologist, and a very accomplished one. As a paleontologist in the oil and gas industry, he analyzes micro fossils found in rock cuttings from the bottom of the ocean brought to the surface during drilling. The results are very useful in oil and gas exploration because they can tell the age of the rock, mineral composition, temperature of the environment, and other data used to determine if, where and how drilling should continue. Drilling goes on 24/7. If a situation arises where answers are needed quickly, a paleontologist might go to the site to make determinations in real time intervals during the drilling process. A brief, layman's answer to a complex subject, but I hope it will lend some perspective to the situation.

 

[parker38]

I imagine this has been answered, but haven't seen it. I think I may be missing something here. If I understand correctly - she rode her bike from her home? to where? Not the nightclub? And she left the nightclub with her friend - she was tired and hungry (where is the bike?) and they went to Taco Bell to get food. Then back to his house to eat. She was tired and it was 2 am, and her "good" friend let her ride her bike home instead of driving her there. Is this a common practice in this area?

Good questions. I'd like the answers also. We're missing some of the
pieces to this puzzle.
I don't know if it's been mentioned here, if so I missed it. But does
anyone know what clothes she had on?