LA - Mickey Shunick, 21, Lafayette, 19 May 2012 - #6

[charminglane]

Woe-I have been thinking along those lines myself, too. That someone in that Caddy picked up that bike that night, realized it was hot and ditched it out there to be found.

 

[chicken fried]

Great pic of the atchafalaya swamp but its tame looking compared to the whiskey bay exit. Yep wish someone had a pic of the exit as you get off it.

Google Earth. Let me open it up and see if I can figure it out as far as linking.
I've used it before as my poor-man's GPS - fishing down in West Cote Blanche Bay.... Set it on the area I'm going and just take the laptop with me on the boat... works without Internet.

 

[concernedformickey]

Photos from bike discovery location: http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/p...20527&Kategori=NEWS01&Lopenr=205270801&Ref=PH

When was that missign sign with blue tape put up?

 

['Ailina]

I believe it was criminal profiler Pat Brown (in her interview with Jane-Velez Mitchell) who said, "Find the bike, find Mickey...It's all on the bike." (paraphrased by me)

 

[chicken fried]

30°22'01.48" N 91°37'53.26" W

Plug that into Google Earth.

Now that I look at it, the dude had to have stopped on I-10 and dumped it over the side... the exit ramp isn't where I remembered it.

OR, he took the risk of parking and walking into the swamp with it,,,,

OR, he pulled up on the bank in a boat and walked it over to the bridge.

Of all those, #1 makes the most sense. If it was late enough at night, there can be quite a distance between cars, if one is QUICK.

 

['Ailina]

When was that missign sign with blue tape put up?

We don't know, concerned. But someone mentioned upthread that the reward amount may help with the timeline of the drop.

 

[fairest of them all]

I have been reading this thread since we were on #1 and I have been anxious to put in some input and I am so happy now that I finally can.

First off when she was first reported missing by the news, way before any surveillance at all was discovered in discussion with my parents my parents of all people came up with the idea that whoever did that had to have known where all the traffic cameras were and not to do anything dumb right underneath them. They were incenuating that whoever did anything like that would likely be in law enforcement or the city government to know where they were. Later on surveillance video or pictures were found but lack of evidence has had me beleiving somewhat the same.

Now that the bike has been found I do not have any idea how they would tell how long it has been there. If it were dumped there the same night or if it were dumped there later(well away from searches which arouses my curiositybecause someone could clearly tell where they were searching and weren't as in the case of someone inserting themselves
Into searches or investigation as has been brought up much earlier here....I been paying attention!) I have been camping at shurbine wildlife refuge more than once. No bathrooms by the way. Busy place around certain hunting seasons. Otherwise not a real vacation hotspot.

If I had to guess, I would guess that the bike was dumped there by throwing it off of the bridge. Not by walking through tall grass as to leave a trail of mashed grass to the bike. Also, I think it would be purposely dumped on land because if dumped in water could wash up anywhere possibly in someone back yard or camp around here. Water ways really not a good place to hide anything. Water moves. And things float. And also when people fish often come up with sticks and all on their hooks. A bike could be easily snagged by a hook. This is all just my own speculation. I also think that if the person was on foot it would be hidden a whole lot better. So it either dropped from the bridge on what looks like from the news photos grassy area as not to hang up on trees where it could not be retreived by the person hiding it.....or it was planted there to lead the searches and law enforcement in the wrong direction. Because just like. I-10 goes to Barton rouge and new Orleans, it goes the opposite wa grayness Crowley JENNINGS lake Charles. Goes from Florida to California!

 

[cluciano63]

I am not sure why the admin of the FB page insists on not believing the media, or wanting anyone else to either. The media is not going to go on record with things that are blatantly untrue, and the family needs the media. Not sure who is the admin?

 

[chicken fried]

I believe it was criminal profiler Pat Brown (in her interview with Jane-Velez Mitchell) who said, "Find the bike, find Mickey...It's all on the bike." (paraphrased by me)

You must be a night-owl, like me. This has been on my mind every day... as I work, I just turn it over and over. I'm waiting for a moment when I can go help again.. The biggest thing as I drive around town is to find that Caddy with the messed up right-rear fender. I'm going to look a couple places tomorrow. It seems I'm not the only one who has seen the beat-up Caddy; we need that guy as a witness.

 

[crocus]

My daughter was part of a search team yesterday near Carencro. Nothing productive was found there, old rusty shovels, a dead dog, a snake, old beat up shoes but not much else but tall weeds, poison ivy and thick brush. All the searchers and volunteers are to be commended for their countless hours of dedication to bringing Mickey home.

Thank God and bless the searchers. It's a daunting task and really goes to show how many have a selfless heart.

 

[bitizen]

30°22'01.48" N 91°37'53.26" W

Plug that into Google Earth.

Now that I look at it, the dude had to have stopped on I-10 and dumped it over the side... the exit ramp isn't where I remembered it.

OR, he took the risk of parking and walking into the swamp with it,,,,

OR, he pulled up on the bank in a boat and walked it over to the bridge.

Of all those, #1 makes the most sense. If it was late enough at night, there can be quite a distance between cars, if one is QUICK.

I always see people parked on the side of the interstate for motor troubles. If that's the case, all he had to do was pull over to the side and wait until there was a big gap. I assume it wouldn't take long to toss a bike over and get back into the car. I'm hoping the highway cameras caught something.

 

['Ailina]

30°22'01.48" N 91°37'53.26" W

Plug that into Google Earth.

Now that I look at it, the dude had to have stopped on I-10 and dumped it over the side... the exit ramp isn't where I remembered it.

OR, he took the risk of parking and walking into the swamp with it,,,,

OR, he pulled up on the bank in a boat and walked it over to the bridge.

Of all those, #1 makes the most sense. If it was late enough at night, there can be quite a distance between cars, if one is QUICK.

Yep. Either of the latter scenarios would have the perp covered in mosquito bites, huh?

 

[Backwoods]

Woe-I have been thinking along those lines myself, too. That someone in that Caddy picked up that bike that night, realized it was hot and ditched it out there to be found.

That's what I wondered about in the previous thread. Earlier, some posters were saying that in one pic of the car, the car appeared to be stopped or slowed down in the street with the front wheels (and thus headlights) turned slightly to the left, almost as if trying to get a better look at something -- maybe a totally "abandoned" (no one in sight), nice bike.

 

[fairest of them all]

Sorry about all the typos

 

[Woe.be.gone]

Yes, extremely creepy and remote as I noted in a previous post. We had to stop off for an emergency on this exit and unless you've ever been there its hard to imagine just how eerie it is out there!

How are people comfortable docking their boats there? Sounds so icky even for that purpose. It would be interesting to know if the fishermen spotted the bike from the water or if they were up on land for some reason. Also is there a place to leave your car nearby after you dock the boat? Who'd want to leave their car unattended in this place? :waitasec:

 

[Cazzie]

Pics of the Atchafalaya Swamp Basin:

http://www.cclockwood.com/stockimages/atchafalaya.htm

Thanx for posting that...I recently watched a fascinating PBS documentary (about the houseboat)...twas great late-nite fare which is why I didn't recall the name of the area (remembered it was a long name, LOL). I recorded it and made sure to include the credits, but hadn't had a chance to go back and look.

Have to admit I am more than a bit jealous of the life they had there (altho they didn't stay together).

 

[Schmidty]

Your idea is not a bad one. If someone had stalked her, they would be locally based. So, the bike dump could be a ruse.

Why not go somewhere farther away; dispose of the bike more efficiently? Well, if she's alive, and if this is a single perp, he doesn't want to leave her alone for too terribly long. But I'm still a bit puzzled in why, if she is being held somewhere, it was necessary to dump the bike at all? Why not keep it with her?

I'm still not getting ny head around this yet... it's late.

Thanks for the compliments. Your comments are incisive. We are a community here, which is why I love living in Lafayette. People come out of nowhere here to help when you least expect it.

If I am him and I am local, and I have her stashed somewhere in Lafayette I know the heat is on. I would want to turn down the heat and the one way I would do that is to dump her bike somewhere headed out of town to hopefully get people to thinking I left.

Pardon my generalization but I don't attribute great intelligence or critical thinking to someone who would grab a girl off the street at 2 am.

 

[Darcyline]

I am not sure why the admin of the FB page insists on not believing the media, or wanting anyone else to either. The media is not going to go on record with things that are blatantly untrue, and the family needs the media. Not sure who is the admin?

I am confused by some of the comments by the admin as well. They are accusing media of endangering Mickey, ruining the investigation, making up blatant lies, etc. They are talking about actual legitimate MSM sources too. Is there something I am missing? I feel like the page (at least until recently) was still refuting that it was even her bike found when I believe that is pretty much completely confirmed?

 

[Gypsy Road]

The more I think about the bike and where it was found, as has been proposed before, it may have been dropped off by someone who happened upon the bike the same night MS disappeared or early the next morning.
Maybe once the thief realized the significance of the 'stolen' bike that they had in their possession they may have freaked out. Instead of doing the right thing by going immediately to LE and reporting where they found the bike in the first place, they decide to ditch it in a remote location but not so much so that the bike would never be found.

Pros and cons to this theory? I'll begin,

Con No. 1. ~ If witnessed dropping the bike off, they'd become suspects in a kidnapping case versus simply a bike thief/s. Would anyone take that risk? Once the bike was ditched, they'd be guilty of impeding an investigation as well.

I hadn't thought of that. I will admit that I am not a very good sleuther, and I have a very hard time thinking like a perp. I was still trying to imagine how and why the perp decided to nap Mickey AND her bike!

ETA - to clarify. I meant - why take the bike, too. Seems like risky move. Why not just leave it? Maybe he did?

 

[Backwoods]

The more I think about the bike and where it was found, as has been proposed before, it may have been dropped off by someone who happened upon the bike the same night MS disappeared or early the next morning.
Maybe once the thief realized the significance of the 'stolen' bike that they had in their possession they may have freaked out. Instead of doing the right thing by going immediately to LE and reporting where they found the bike in the first place, they decide to ditch it in a remote location but not so much so that the bike would never be found.

Pros and cons to this theory? I'll begin,

Con No. 1. ~ If witnessed dropping the bike off, they'd become suspects in a kidnapping case versus simply a bike thief/s. Would anyone take that risk? Once the bike was ditched, they'd be guilty of impeding an investigation as well.

bbm: Good point -- but really, if they'd turned in the bike, they were also likely to be suspects in the kidnapping at least for a while, no matter what their story. Maybe it was a person who'd rather take the risk of not being seen dropping the bike above going to police with the story of "uhmm, well, see I found this bike...". Especially once they knew their car had been observed ... . All just a theory though.