Michaela "Mickey" Shunick: Arrest for murder of missing La. student

By: Crimesider Staff
Topics: Daily Blotter ,; Missing

Brandon Scott Lavergne (left) and Michaela "Mickey" Shunick

/ AP Photo/St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office; Lafayette Police Department

(CBS/AP) LAFAYETTE, La. - A registered sex offender has been booked on a charge of first-degree murder in connection with the May disappearance of University of Louisiana student Mickey Shunick, authorities said.

Pictures: La. college student missing after bike ride

St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz said Thursday night that 33-year-old Brandon Scott Lavergne was booked on first-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping charges by police in Lafayette, where Shunick went missing May 19.

Guidroz said the arrest came as his department helped Lafayette police search Lavergne's residence for evidence. The search continued Thursday night.

The sheriff gave no details about what was found. Lafayette police also released no details. Police have scheduled a 1 p.m. Friday news conference to discuss an arrest in the case.

It was not immediately clear if Lavergne has an attorney.

The rural St. Landry address where the search was conducted is listed as the address of Lavergne on the state's sex offender website.

The website says Lavergne was convicted in 2000 of aggravated oral sexual battery. He was released in 2008.

Shunick was last seen shortly before 2 a.m. on May 19, days before her 22nd birthday. The University of Louisiana at Lafayette student had left a friend's house to ride her bicycle home.

Her bicycle was found eight days later in a remote, swampy area under a highway bridge in Iberville Parish, about 25 miles from the spot where she was last seen.

Soon after her disappearance, Lafayette police released video taken about the time she went missing. It showed her cycling on a Lafayette street around 1:45 a.m. on May 19. Investigators said at the time that they were seeking information about a pickup truck seen on the video. The sex offender website shows a white 2011 Chevrolet Silverado under vehicles linked to Lavergne.

Complete Coverage of Michaela "Mickey" Shunick on Crimesider

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Body of missing La. college student identified

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by smittyc July 6, 2012 7:54 PM EDT: Sad story. Sorry for the lady and wishful thinking in Ca. but they should execute him.; Reply to this comment


by thetruthwillout July 6, 2012 3:46 PM EDT: Many young women think they are immortal. They don't think anything will happen to them. This is what happens when people throw caution to the wind. She may have ridden home late at night many times, giving her a false sense of security.
Also, sex offenders should NEVER be set free. They are a danger to society and should be locked up forever! It's only a matter of time before they kill someone, just like this guy!; Reply to this comment


by SusanMassachusetts July 6, 2012 2:25 PM EDT: Not for not, but what the he11 was she doing alone at 1:45AM?? It should not be an invitation for degenerates and criminals to assault you, but at the same time, that is their witching hour. You don't swim when the sharks are nearby, don't be alone when the lowlifes are out and about. Common sense saves many.; Reply to this comment


by ralphing July 6, 2012 2:08 PM EDT: I'm a guy, and I wouldn't ever consider riding a bike at 2am. Way too many crazy people in the world, and this guy looks crazy and demented.; Reply to this comment


by taxed01 July 6, 2012 1:25 PM EDT: He is a sex offender - quick, worry about his rights.; Reply to this comment

by jnostromo July 6, 2012 1:11 PM EDT

Another example of the need to make sex offenders pay via the death penalty...Registration has the same power as a pfa...As long as they breathe innocents will die...Make it a death penalty crime and enforce it...Cruwl and unusual punishment is the pain and suffering they bring to their victims and their families...If you have a rabid animal what do you do with it? If you have a rat in your house what do you do?

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by OhCriminy July 6, 2012 2:48 PM EDT: You took the words off my keyboard. It is a proven fact that sex offenders will always offend. Either keep them in prison for life... or put them to death.