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

[aviatrix]

And who EVER gets their stolen bike back? There was a post a while back on another thread about who in LE returned his bike to him-BW. Can't remember

To me, we are saying that her disappearance happened in a total void. That one second everything was perfectly normal and the next five minutes she was kidnapped. I am wondering what the percentages of disappearances happen that way? If I was LE I would go back to the very beginning of this case. I have a feeling that is what has happened and the family does not like the scrutiny -- just a hunch. The more I feel this case out, the more it feels like one of my adoption cases where I have been given all the wrong information because a family member was involved somewhere they should not have been. I do not mean any family members are involved here -- not at all -- I am just saying when the family starts shutting down on releasing information -- generally that would not be because their theory was a stranger abduction. What do you say?

 

[cluciano63]

The family may be working closely with LE; maybe LE is advising them not to let anything more out to the public than the simple message to contact LE or their PI if they have any info. I'm not sure what we want or expect the family to tell the public anyway; we don't need to know about their personal lives, as long as LE knows. All they want from the public is to keep their eyes open and to report anything they think may be connected.

There are plenty of cases here at WS (Isabel is just one) where we are hearing nothing from the families; it is not that unusual. We also never hear from Holly Bobo's family. I just don't know how to weigh this against any degree of guilt or suspicion or even "weirdness" in their families.

JMO

 

[bessie]

Well it's also because it's a big civil rights issue too if those methods are publicly revealed to have been used. That's something LPD doesn't want to add to their plate right now IMO

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

tracking cell phone locations

It's a huge issue.

The New York Times
By ERIC LICHTBLAU
Published: March 31, 2012

WASHINGTON — Law enforcement tracking of cellphones, once the province mainly of federal agents, has become a powerful and widely used surveillance tool for local police officials, with hundreds of departments, large and small, often using it aggressively with little or no court oversight, documents show...

While cell tracking by local police departments has received some limited public attention in the last few years, the A.C.L.U. documents show that the practice is in much wider use — with far looser safeguards — than officials have previously acknowledged...

In cities in Nevada, North Carolina and other states, police departments have gotten wireless carriers to track cellphone signals back to cell towers as part of nonemergency investigations to identify all the callers using a particular tower, records show...

more at the link
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/01/u...ones-raises-privacy-fears.html?pagewanted=all

Until now, how law enforcement agents use cell phone tracking has been largely shrouded in secrecy. What little was known suggested that law enforcement agents frequently tracked cell phones without obtaining a warrant based on probable cause...

Many law enforcement agencies track cell phones quite frequently. For example, based on invoices from cell phone companies, it appears that Raleigh, N.C. tracks hundreds of cell phones a year. The practice is so common that cell phone companies have manuals for police explaining what data the companies store, how much they charge police to access that data, and what officers need to do to get it....

Sometimes, law enforcement agencies obtainall of the cell phone numbers at a particular location at a particular time. For example, a law enforcement agent in Tucson, Ariz. prepared a memo for fellow officers explaining how to obtain this data. And records from Cary, N.C. include a request for all phones that utilized particular cell phone towers...

continued with links to related articles
http://www.aclu.org/protecting-civi...hone-location-tracking-public-records-request

The pdf at this link shows record retention periods for six of the largest wireless providers.
http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/threatlevel/2011/09/retentionpolicy.pdf

A thread devoted to this topic can be found in our Resources Center.
[ame="http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=150195"]HOW LONG CAN PHONE CO’s RETRIEVE CELL & TEXT MSG INFO? - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community[/ame]

 

[justwannahelp]

Did the 6pm news in Raleigh have anything more to add to the attempted rape story?
I googled but saw nothing...just hoping I missed something.

do you think the raleigh girl will or has talked to the lafayette police. she may be able to tell them if she thinks he's done this before. he may have said something insinuating that etc. was the raleigh girl blond? of course, if she is or isn't doesn't validate anything.

i am so glad she escaped. wonder what kick a## move she used to do so?

 

[nola]

do you think the raleigh girl will or has talked to the lafayette police. she may be able to tell them if she thinks he's done this before. he may have said something insinuating that etc. was the raleigh girl blond? of course, if she is or isn't doesn't validate anything.

i am so glad she escaped. wonder what kick a## move she used to do so?

One NC news report stated that she fled when he made his move in the vehicle and hid out until he fled.

Smart lady!

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=8718700

 

[cluciano63]

The reason I do not think this is a "traveling" serial abductor is due to where the bike was found...I think there must have been plenty of places, and much closer to town, where the bike could have been dumped if the idea was simply to get rid of it, but instead it winds up 25 miles away at an infamous location. I think they are dealing with someone local to Lafayette, who simply resumed their regular routine once they completed their crime and got rid of the evidence.

 

[concentric]

BBM Her friend had his bike back, they biked together to the club and back to his house.

--------
Right. I guess I should have said:

I think the stealing of the bike from her friend, could have been a previously attempted means of trying to isolate her out from riding with her friend.

 

[nola]

I was referring to cell phone "Tower Dumps" which are logs that can be purchased from the different providers of every cell phone pinging on specific towers and then tracking said phones. As well as access to video cameras around town that they often claim either don't record, or were turned off, or broken at the time.

Hey ACI - so glad to see you posting on this thread!

Quick question about the cell tower data. Can LE obtain this data without a judge signed warrant?

Thanks for your expertise on this sort of thing.

 

[De2385]

-----------

My bold above.

Someone(s) have become very skilled at extricating women from their possible means of escape, the bicycles.

I also think the stolen bike, was a means of extricating her friend from riding with her.

I agree, I am either rigging up that gun ACI posted on riding on a trainer for a while.

 

[De2385]

And who EVER gets their stolen bike back? There was a post a while back on another thread about who in LE returned his bike to him-BW. Can't remember

Very few, especially if they are like his-- and in the same day too. Just odd.

 

[A.C.I]

Hey ACI - so glad to see you posting on this thread!

Quick question about the cell tower data. Can LE obtain this data without a judge signed warrant?

Thanks for your expertise on this sort of thing.

Thats the big issue. Most of the time yes.

It's essentially a loophole around wiretapping laws as well as a variety of other surveillance and tracking laws. They can do it without warrants, although it can be expensive. They don't like to talk about it publicly because of the civil rights issues it brings up and incurs the wrath of the ACLU. But regardless, LE does it anyway. Ironically, if this case had NOT become so high profile they more than likely could have used these methods to get a better lead on what happened to MS. But because it garnered so much media attention there's no way they would utilize methods like that (as well as the Lafayette Camera issues) and bring on a variety of troubles for themselves with the internal troubles LPD already has going on

 

[nola]

The reason I do not think this is a "traveling" serial abductor is due to where the bike was found...I think there must have been plenty of places, and much closer to town, where the bike could have been dumped if the idea was simply to get rid of it, but instead it winds up 25 miles away at an infamous location. I think they are dealing with someone local to Lafayette, who simply resumed their regular routine once they completed their crime and got rid of the evidence.

As I read your post, I starting to wonder where this NC victim's bike will be located.

Oops...I missed that the bike was left behind. Maybe DNA can be retrieved from his handling it that night?

 

[K.jill]

The reason I do not think this is a "traveling" serial abductor is due to where the bike was found...I think there must have been plenty of places, and much closer to town, where the bike could have been dumped if the idea was simply to get rid of it, but instead it winds up 25 miles away at an infamous location. I think they are dealing with someone local to Lafayette, who simply resumed their regular routine once they completed their crime and got rid of the evidence.

I agree that it is a local crime.
I also think the NC crime could be related. Maybe the guy got the idea from reading about Mickey's case or he has ties to LA and NC. Both are college towns and the incidents occurred as the bars closed.

 

[OldSteve]

I do not believe this has anything to do with bikes. BW would have just bought another bike, if his had not been found.

To me, this is about a classic a case as ever of a random victim in the wrong place at the (very) wrong time. And I do not think Mickie is alive, or has been, since a very short time after she was abducted.

Agree 100%!
Typically these kind of thugs work quickly once they capture a victim.
Also, considering the time when it happened, odds favor it being two men driving around.

 

[cluciano63]

As I read your post, I starting to wonder where this NC victim's bike will be located.

I thought the article said the bike was left right there.

 

[K.jill]

do you think the raleigh girl will or has talked to the lafayette police. she may be able to tell them if she thinks he's done this before. he may have said something insinuating that etc. was the raleigh girl blond? of course, if she is or isn't doesn't validate anything.

i am so glad she escaped. wonder what kick a## move she used to do so?

It would be great if we could ask the NC girl a few questions!
Hopefully LA le has made contact with Raleigh.
Placing the bike on top of the SUV seems odd to me. I am trying to picture the scenario. Bump, her bike is damaged but she is not injured, maybe shaken up and some scrapes. The guy gets out of the SUV and says let me give you a ride home. He puts the bike on top of his SUV. That is faster than putting it inside but I would think the bike rider would find that odd.

 

[cluciano63]

I agree that it is a local crime.
I also think the NC crime could be related. Maybe the guy got the idea from reading about Mickey's case or he has ties to LA and NC. Both are college towns and the incidents occurred as the bars closed.

In college towns, that is when young women are most likely to be out and about and possibly less guarded.

 

[nola]

Thats the big issue. Most of the time yes.

So, if they obtain this data without a warrant -- then it would narrow considerably the pool of suspects in many cases, I would think. I guess the shear weight of data could be overwhelming and take many man hours to sift through, but the result would be a list of viable perps. Match whose pinging at the same tower as Mickey's phone along with who drives a DWT and ding, ding...we have a winner/ witness / perp.

.....Can a PI get this data?

 

[K.jill]

In college towns, that is when young women are most likely to be out and about and possibly less guarded.

And quite possibly intoxicated. An easy target if alone.

 

[A.C.I]

So, if they obtain this data without a warrant -- then it would narrow considerably the pool of suspects in many cases, I would think. I guess the shear weight of data could be overwhelming and take many man hours to sift through, but the result would be a list of viable perps. Match whose pinging at the same tower as Mickey's phone along with who drives a DWT and ding, ding...we have a winner/ witness / perp.

.....Can a PI get this data?

I edited my post to provide you with a little more insight.

And sadly no, a PI wouldn't have access to this like LE does unless they had some really good friends working for various cell providers.