***ARREST*** Mickey Shunick, 21, Lafayette 19 May 2012 - #32

[TxLady2]

Wow...here in NC, Walmart and convenience stores can sell beer and wine, but hard liquor can only be legally sold through state-run ABC stores.

Same here. I've never seen a Wal Mart, grocery store or convenience store sell hard liquor around here.
Used to be that if a county was dry, it was the entire county, but now individual towns can vote it in, as long as it's not sold within so many feet of a church or school. They sell it now in my local grocery store and there are two churches about a block down the street in both directions. They just voted it in about a year ago, and it ran quite a few bootleggers out of business!!

 

[cluciano63]

RE: I just dont understand apathy to matters of such importance

danzn16, unless it happens to their family or friend, then they feel that it simply doesn't affect them or apply. These same folks will read James Patterson or Ann Rule novels, watch Criminal Minds, CSI, or movies such as The Raven or The Frozen Ground. Yet, when the evil crimes depicted in these novels, tv shows, & movies become life's reality, the darkness is well beyond their comprehension.

Guess, there is a time & place to discuss abductions/missing persons, but I learned long ago that a party is prolly not the best place to do it..

BBM- That is the problem right there...if the public doesn't really care that much, the media is not going to follow up; their stories are geared to what they think will produce the highest ratings.

IMO people are basically (in general) self-absorbed. Their own lives are their main concern, and if it doesn't touch them or their lives, they can't spend more than a few minutes on it, say "oh, how sad" and move on.

I fill my sisters in on these cases from time to time, as they don't follow crime really, and they show interest, but never ask me later if so-and-so was found, etc...even my niece, who lives in Baton Rouge and is Mickey's age didn't know about Mickey until I told her mom, and by now, surely thinks she has been found and it is likely out of her head. People have too many other things to think about. And people don't watch the news like they used to, anyway...

JMO

 

[Foxfire]

I also think it is probably easier to garner interest in a missing person if they are a child or even a young teen, like Sierra. Mickey is an adult, and disappeared while doing an adult thing, i.e. coming home from a night out. As another posted said above, he/she has heard people say "well, what did she expect, riding at 2am, etc..." So if there is an attitude like that prevalent, it can't be that simple to drum up huge media interest.

But I really think the total lack of any word at all from LE in such a long time is the worst possible thing for a case like this. The media always pays attention to LE when they have something to say about a case, even if it is very little actual info. I can't imagine the media showing a great deal of interest if the Shunicks call them up and say "hey, she is still missing, can you please report that?" Just not exciting enough...JMO

cluciano63, I guess that would depend on LPD's motive for the silence. They want this to go away...Silence by LE via the media will accomplish this goal, as it has so many times before in missing persons investigations.

Imo, they were chasing rabbits since early in the investigation due to their strong lead hitting a wall.
Imo, all indicators say that Mickey Schunick's abduction was the work of an experienced stranger sexual predator/s..

This is my reasoning for the statement; chasing rabbits;

Private Investigator: Strong Lead on Suspects in Mickey Shunick Case

www.katc.com/.../private-investigator-strong-lead-on-suspects-in-mic...

Jun 7, 2012 – John Abdella said he received two separate tips that seem to describe ... Private Investigator: Strong Lead on Suspects in Mickey Shunick Case ...

 

[cluciano63]

cluciano63, I guess that would depend on LPD's motive for the silence. They want this to go away...Silence by LE via the media will accomplish this goal, as it has so many times before in missing persons investigations.

Imo, they were chasing rabbits since early in the investigation due to their strong lead hitting a wall.
Imo, all indicators say that Mickey Schunick's abduction was the work of an experienced stranger sexual predator/s..

This is my reasoning for the statement; chasing rabbits;

Private Investigator: Strong Lead on Suspects in Mickey Shunick Case

www.katc.com/.../private-investigator-strong-lead-on-suspects-in-mic...

Jun 7, 2012 – John Abdella said he received two separate tips that seem to describe ... Private Investigator: Strong Lead on Suspects in Mickey Shunick Case ...

I don't believe LE wants this to "go away."

I don't think they are handling it well at all, but I've seen very few missing persons cases handled with any real competence over the years. Samantha in Alaska is one of the exceptions, also Sierra. But most LE seem to be at a total loss when it comes to missing persons.

I think that Mickey was perhaps spotted later than the video we've seen, and that is why the push for the white truck is not there; yes, they would probably like to talk to the driver, but also probably don't think he/she was involved or even has any real info.

 

[cityslick]

True, but the missing persons cases mentioned all had a "hook" of sorts that Mickey does not really have; Chandra the connection to politics in DC, Elizabeth taken from her bedroom as well as the Morman theories, Laci pregnant and Christmas Eve and Natalee vanishing in a tropical paradise on a school trip. Mickey's case is pretty basic in comparison...riding her bike on the way home from a bar. Not saying she is any less important, but it does not have the same "glamour" factor MSM likes. JMO

The fact of the matter is that media (talking national media) is only going to air a story about a missing person if there is a 'story' behind it, that's just the way it is. There are way too many missing persons cases in this country for news media to be following up on, you would need a program dedicated to just that topic every day to cover them and even then there are so many that most wouldn't get coverage.

I understand the frustration of this case not being in the 'news' more but to be honest, what exactly is there to air? There is no new information, there is nothing. All cases die out in the media after awhile, even bigger headline ones than this. How often do you see Ayla Reynolds, Kyron Horman, Lisa Irwin, even Michelle Parker on the news these days? These cases had much more attention than this case. If there is no information, there is no story.

The thing is a lot of missing persons cases hardly get any coverage whatsoever. Sadly, it become almost commonplace for someone to go missing. There is an easy way to test this. Go to your local Walmart, look on their big board of missing persons and count how many you saw being covered by the news. I bet the number is lower than you think.

 

[Lcbrn]

Inside Report for July 5, 2012
Search for missing Lafayette woman continues

BY JASON BROWN
Acadiana bureau
July 05, 2012
0 COMMENTS
It’s now more than a month since 22-year-old Mickey Shunick was last seen riding off on her black Schwinn bicycle.

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette student vanished May 19 shortly before 2 a.m. after she left a friend’s house at 100 Ryan St. in Lafayette on her way to her parent’s home about five miles away. Her family reported her missing that afternoon.
http://theadvocate.com/news/opinion/3208593-123/inside-report-for-july-5
<modsnip>

 

[danzn16]

Maybe you should post some flyers then? Just a thought...

I have. Knowledge is still low. Im just one person

Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Foxfire]

I don't believe LE wants this to "go away."

I don't think they are handling it well at all, but I've seen very few missing persons cases handled with any real competence over the years. Samantha in Alaska is one of the exceptions, also Sierra. But most LE seem to be at a total loss when it comes to missing persons.

I think that Mickey was perhaps spotted later than the video we've seen, and that is why the push for the white truck is not there; yes, they would probably like to talk to the driver, but also probably don't think he/she was involved or even has any real info.

RE: I don't believe LE wants this to "go away."

"Over a month since a media briefing or update by LPD's PIO in the Mickey Schunick investigation"

"Over 12 months since a media briefing or update by the TBI in the Holly Bobo abduction"

The ramifications/repurcussions of an unsolved abduction/missing person case are many; political, commerce, tourism, community's confidence in Public Safety, etc.

"Lessons learned from the Jennings Serial Killer misinvestigation"

http://www.kplctv.com/story/15787121/ivy-woods-voted-new-jeff-davis-parish-sheriff

Ivy Woods voted new Jeff Davis Parish Sheriff

Woods was vying for the position in a field of four other candidates after long-time Sheriff Ricky Edwards decided not to run for a sixth term. Edwards has served as sheriff for 20 years. His time in office has been overshadowed by the still unsolved mystery deaths of eight Jeff Davis women and that case was a big issue in this election.

"We want to look over all the investigations. Implement a narcotics unit and bridge communication. The number one thing we would like to do is regain the trust of the public. There's a gap there and we want to close it and make it more personal," said Woods.




****************
http://jdpkiller.wordpress.com/2011/08/02/a-serial-killer-in-jennings-la-–-part-7/


The subject of &#8220;fear&#8221; about discussing the cases was brought up next by Ortega and he asked Murphy if he understood what that &#8220;fear&#8221; was about and if Lewis could help him understand it. Lewis kind of chuckled in a &#8220;knowing&#8221; way and finally said that yes, he understood. He alluded that although it wasn&#8217;t in &#8220;black & white&#8221;, and &#8220;no one&#8221; came right out and said &#8220;keep your mouth shut&#8221; that it was &#8220;understood&#8221; LE didn&#8217;t want the families discussing the cases. There seemed to be some inference that people in &#8220;influential positions&#8221; didn&#8217;t want the cases discussed and that there could be repercussions if they were. Lewis didn&#8217;t say that in those exact words but that was the &#8220;drift&#8221; I got. Joey seemed to agree and said the &#8220;sense&#8221; he got was that people didn&#8217;t &#8220;want to upset law enforcement&#8221;.

The discussion then moved toward the already in progress race for the soon to be vacated Sheriff&#8217;s seat and how the election could be pivotal in bringing a new administration in to power in the parish. The current Sheriff has been in office almost 24 years and his long-time, right-hand man, Larry Dupuis, has thrown his hat into the election arena. Joey shared that he has spoken to candidate Dupuis but added that Dupuis only had &#8220;very general answers&#8221; to &#8220;very specific questions&#8221;. In Ortega&#8217;s opinion&#8230;.NOW would be the time for candidates to acknowledge the problems/situation in the parish (specifically the unsolved murders) and offer an explanation as to what they intend to do to solve them and address the communication (or lack of) issues with the victim&#8217;s family members.

 

[TxLady2]

mahmoo, careful, you may get labelled by your friends.. Most folks that don't follow missing persons cases, or are not involved, become very suspicious of those that care. You can ask the same folks to name a serial killer and they can name a few. Then ask them to name one victim and only get silence...

I have tried talking about certain cases to my LE son, and some of them he has never heard of. A few cases outside this area come across his desk for whatever reason, but for the most part, he doesn't have much interest in any that are not in this area. He will answer questions about procedures, but if it's an ongoing case in his jurisdiction, he doesn't talk about it at all. Even as much publicity as the Caylee Anthony case got and still gets, I know WAY more about the case than he does.
I am the only one in my family who follows this stuff. If I tried to talk to my relatives or inlaws about a missing person, most of them would look at me like I was crazy. And the funny thing is, I've got several cousins on both sides who have been in LE for decades. The only thing I can surmise from all that is that unless it's happening in their own backyard, people tend to stay away from these cases. Or if they were interested in it at all, they will quickly lose interest if it's not resolved in a period of time.

 

[LafayetteMom]

Wow, maybe the family thinks the professionals - the police- are best qualified to get them answers. Maybe they actually trust the police and are working with them. Maybe they feel that "national attention" is useless to them in finding out what happened to their daughter in Lafayette, la. Maybe they feel uncomfortable with all these people all over demanding to know everything about their daughter to satisfy their morbid curiosity, and telling them what they should be doing. Maybe they are psysically and emotionally exhausted and are simply relying on the police to do their job.

And as I said, I didn't say one negative word about the family. I think they are coping with this the best they can. I think the police are telling them what to do and they are doing it. I'm not saying they should be doing more of this or less of that. They get the automatic pass, like we talked about early on. I'm trying not to be offended here, but I am not demanding anything due to any morbid curiosity. I felt like I was useful to a certain point, then not. So, I tried to be useful again, and make suggestions to the social media team, only I was flat out ignored. Anytime I have messaged Charlie on FB she answered me back and I didn't expect her to. But the social media team, there are so many of them, I would think someone could answer back.

 

[Foxfire]

I have tried talking about certain cases to my LE son, and some of them he has never heard of. A few cases outside this area come across his desk for whatever reason, but for the most part, he doesn't have much interest in any that are not in this area. He will answer questions about procedures, but if it's an ongoing case in his jurisdiction, he doesn't talk about it at all. Even as much publicity as the Caylee Anthony case got and still gets, I know WAY more about the case than he does.
I am the only one in my family who follows this stuff. If I tried to talk to my relatives or inlaws about a missing person, most of them would look at me like I was crazy. And the funny thing is, I've got several cousins on both sides who have been in LE for decades. The only thing I can surmise from all that is that unless it's happening in their own backyard, people tend to stay away from these cases. Or if they were interested in it at all, they will quickly lose interest if it's not resolved in a period of time.

TxLady2, guess, if you live on the river, you don't go fishing..
Have you observed a difference of opinions concerning communication by LE to the public in missing persons investigations among your LE son & relatives.
Are any of your relatives detectives?
I've been following the Holly Bobo abduction since 04/13/2011 due to the Sheriff's statement, 'These crimes don't happen in places like Darden, TN'...
"I liked to fell out of my damn chair"...

 

[MyTinkieGirl]

If the perp was local or known by ANY of MS's friends, then MS's friends would also recognize the white truck that LE is interested in. I am wondering why, if LE is still interested in that truck, LE does not make an announcement of: We continue to look for clues and are still interested in the white truck caught on video. It has been pointed out that the truck possibly has a service box over the right hub with writing on it.
If LE is not interested in the white truck anymore, they could say: Due to further developments in the case, we are no longer interested in the white truck and do not need any more tips called in as that particular item has been crossed off our list.

One way or the other, I believe it is time for LE to make an announcement.

As far as the family goes during a time of emotional upheaval people are allowed to think and say and do out-of-character things. I believe the best thing would be for them to open up and give any clue possible; however in many oher cases I have followed the family tends to close up and refuse to answer personal questions for whatever their reasons are.

I think it is a gamble to disenfranchise the public and depend on LE totally, but I am not in their shoes. The risk of that is losing the public's interest, the case becomes a cold case and in the end the family looks back and thinks "we should have handled it differently, but at the time we made that decision it was the best one we could make, knowing what we knew."

I think we are at a critical point here and now. Either the family and friends give the public more info and keep us in the loop, or public interest will melt away and people will find other more productive ways of spending their time. It is what it is.

BBM....EXACTLY what I was thinking this morning.....BUT......

'I'll drink to that'...
Three DWTs registered in Lafayette, according to A.C.I.

The DWT is prolly "not" in Lafayette, LA.. especially after over 6 weeks..Why sleuth one of the most popular color/trucks in the US, that could be anywhere in the US or in another country by now?

Could that be WHY we haven't heard anything about the WT....maybe LE wants the perp (IF, in fact the WT has anything to do with this)to get a false sense of security and maybe come back to the "scene of the crime"?

Also, has LE given the public/bike riders a heads up about the potential for attacks???

 

[cluciano63]

I for one am glad to see the article from today, posted above in a link. It shows the Shunicks are doing what they can and trying to count on LE for the rest.

I wonder if the "info" LE received on the bike shows some auto paint, in a color other than white, perhaps, which would take the focus off of the white truck. Perhaps they would still like to talk with the driver but have less reason to believe he/she was involved. I doubt they could have gotten much else from it, JMO.

As far as giving the public warnings-that is seldom done in any significant way. I am sure that the biking community is well aware of Mickey's disappearance.

 

[concentric]

JMO, and as I posted before, referring to an early press conference, I think Mickey's family is covering all bases from local to international, including the P.I. they hired. He most likely has the ability to investigate nationally as well as internationally.

Why would they do this? Can't conjecture definitively, because this broad scope could mean several different possibilities, i.e. maybe they think persons who were in the vicinity at the time she disappeared have since left the state or country and may have information. Or, they might think that there is a possibility that she is out of the state or country.
------------

http://theadvocate.com/news/opinion/3208593-123/inside-report-for-july-5

&#8220;We are asking that the foot searchers who still want to help come in small groups and put fliers around the city, parish, state, and any state or country they go to on vacation,&#8221; Charlie Shunick wrote, adding that she hopes Mickey&#8217;s information can be spread across the country, especially along the coast from Florida and the southern United States to California.

&#8220;We basically want every single inch of the world to be covered with Mickey&#8217;s face, although we realize that is not actually possible, it is the mind-set we are working with,&#8221; Charlie Shunick wrote.

 

[justwannahelp]

I don't really like saying this but, without this case being front & center in the media every day ... it is basically falling by the wayside sadly enough. I mentioned the case the other night at a large gathering I was at and almost everyone I mentioned it to looked at me with a "what are you talking about" look on their face. When I went into a bit more detail they were like "oh yeah, I heard about that" and unfortunately, the conversation moved quickly on to another topic. I'm a voracious crime follower but ... most folks are not even if the crime is in their own backyard.

this is very true. i mentioned it to a group of early thirties women about 2 weeks ago in baton rouge, and they said something along the lines of "they still haven't found that girl?"

 

[cluciano63]

JMO, and as I posted before, referring to an early press conference, I think Mickey's family is covering all bases from local to international, including the P.I. they hired. He most likely has the ability to investigate nationally as well as internationally.

Why would they do this? Can't conjecture definitively, because this broad scope could mean several different possibilities, i.e. maybe they think persons who were in the vicinity at the time she disappeared have since left the state or country and may have information. Or, they might think that there is a possibility that she is out of the state or country.
------------

http://theadvocate.com/news/opinion/3208593-123/inside-report-for-july-5

“We are asking that the foot searchers who still want to help come in small groups and put fliers around the city, parish, state, and any state or country they go to on vacation,” Charlie Shunick wrote, adding that she hopes Mickey’s information can be spread across the country, especially along the coast from Florida and the southern United States to California.

“We basically want every single inch of the world to be covered with Mickey’s face, although we realize that is not actually possible, it is the mind-set we are working with,” Charlie Shunick wrote.

I think they are just trying to cover all possible bases. I don't see anything that leads me to believe they have any idea at all what happened to Mickey.

 

[TxLady2]

My gosh, in every case on here, people say "why didn't they hire a PI sooner, etc?"

As far as WS radio...people here already know about Mickey and are already looking for her. They have no reason to come on here, it is preaching to the choir. And they probably do not have any other info to give that would be helpful-they seem pretty much at a loss to me.

Agreed, not many people outside of members of WS have even heard of WS radio. In fact, of the people I know well who spend a lot of time on their computers, most of them have never heard of WS, for that matter. I will occasionally discuss some cases with my hubby, and he listens up to a point, then thinks of something he has to do somewhere else.
As for hiring a PI, that's a personal choice, but I think it has some disadvantages. For one thing, most reliable PI's charge a heckuva lot of money, unless they just have a personal interest and want to work for free. Many people can't afford them indefinitely. I could probably afford about 15 mnutes. Some LE don't like sharing information and resent them interfering, but most are usually willing to work with one as long as they don't overstep thier bounds. And a lot of times, people will come more near talking to a PI than they would a cop. But there are still some things a cop can do that a PI cannot, and I think LE has access to certain databases that a PI doesn't, unless they have a computer whiz on the payroll. Some do, actually.
I think I'm right on this, but if not, one of them will correct me, I'm sure.

 

[eileenhawkeye]

The media is so vast nowadays that a case can receive significant coverage yet still be unknown to many people. I have a hard time complaining that Lisa Irwin or Kyron Horman didn't receive enough media attention, but I bet I could find plenty of people who would not recognize their names, or the circumstances, even when the case was hot in the media. There are a lot of cases like that nowadays, where they have received national coverage, but are not nationally known. (Also, I might be wrong, but I think in the 90s, cases were either a household name, or completely obscure.)

 

[concentric]

I think they are just trying to cover all possible bases. I don't see anything that leads me to believe they have any idea at all what happened to Mickey.

------
Then what leads you to believe that this is: a local case, only?

Truly, I am interested in your viewpoint.

 

[justwannahelp]

I am not going to say one negative word about the family...I think they are coping the best they can. But I think there is more that other people could be doing. I volunteered what time I could to posting flyers, searching, donating. But after they didn't need us "foot soldiers" anymore, I felt sorta useless just sitting around. After staring at pics of DWT's and feeling even more useless, I contacted the social media team several times with suggestions and ideas about getting more national coverage. I got no response at all from them! I haven't seen any of them in person since we quit the foot searches. I felt like...what do I need to do, go to the HQ and ask to be on the social media team? I mean, if you're gonna do this, go big or go home ya know? Get busy contacting people, far and wide. Get her picture up and her name out, more than what it is. Local media just really pisses me off--I contacted lots of them as well and only heard replies back from 2 of them. We were talking here, about how if national media picked it up, then local media might also. But how to get national attention, if the official LFM social media team doesn't seem to want to try?

Exactly! Fine if we can't get national media, but we NEED Louisiana media. Lafayette knows about the case, but there's a lot of Louisiana that doesn't. Louisiana news channels don't have THAT much to talk about, so what's the problem with airing this story? It's "interesting" (in a sad way) but you know it attracts viewers is what I mean and it's local and it's not common here, so air the hell out of it!!!

It's so frustrating! Is LE not wanting the media to air because they don't want to look bad for not catching the perp? Honestly, I wouldn't be judging LE one bit if it weren't for their rude awkward silence. So media attenion, in my opinion would be in their best interest.