The family of a university student who went missing in May say they can finally begin to grieve after police positively identified a body they found earlier this week. Police say the body discovered in Evangeline Parish was that of Michaela ''Mickey'' Shunick. Her family said Friday they can begin the healing process now and are asking for privacy from the media. (Special to the American Press)
Police may have found Shunick's remains
Last Modified: Wednesday, August 08, 2012 12:20 PM
LAFAYETTE (AP) — Investigators have found human remains that may be those of Michaela "Mickey" Shunick, a college student who vanished in May, says Lafayette Police Chief Jim Craft.
"We believe these remains are Mickey Shunick's, but we are not 100 percent," Craft told The Advertiser Tuesday.
Tests are needed to identify the remains, he said.
The Shunick family cannot say whether the body is hers "until an official press release is made by the proper officials," said a statement released by Margaret Bearb, a volunteer coordinator close to the family.
"Also, we ask that you please respect the Shunick family by allowing them the privacy they need at this time. It has been, and still is, a long journey in the search to find Mickey, so we truly feel that they deserve some time alone until they are ready to respond to the current rumor," the statement said.
Shunick, a student at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, disappeared May 19, days before she turned 22. She was last seen riding away from a friend's house on black Schwinn bicycle, which was found in a swampy area at a highway exchange 25 miles away.
Property outside of Lafayette Parish was being investigated in connection with Shunick's disappearance, but the location won't be released while the investigation continues, said Cpl. Paul Mouton, a police spokesman.
Brandon Lavergne, a 33-year-old registered sex offender from Swords, has been charged with both her kidnapping and murder and with the 1999 death of Lisa Ann Pate.
Prosecutors said in court filings last week that Lavergne may have moved both bodies and that "continued tampering" with Shunick's body was meant to hamper the investigation.
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