LAFAYETTE, LA (WAFB) -
Prosecutors
will present their best evidence to a grand jury, hoping to convince jurors to
bring Brandon Lavergne to trial for the murder of Mickey Shunick.
However,
they head to the proceeding without a major piece of the case, as the 22-year-old
UL-Lafayette student is still missing.
The grand
jury will hear the case against Lavergne Wednesday afternoon and decide if there
is enough evidence to formally charge him.
An
investigator on the case said Lavergne is their guy and he believes they are
getting much closer to finding Shunick.
The search
for Shunick has been trying for family, friends and police.
Her smiling
face was last seen on May 19. She spent part of the day at a get together
with friends. At some point after Shunick left the party, she disappeared
while riding her bike home in the early morning hours.
In the
weeks since, authorities and residents alike have undergone massive search
efforts with few breaks in the case.
Then,
authorities arrested the 33-year-old Lavergne and charged him with first-degree
murder and aggravated kidnapping.
"Even
though we did make an arrest and we feel we have the person responsible for
Mickey's disappearance, we still haven't found Mickey," said Cpl. Paul
Mouton with the Lafayette Police Department. "So, it's very
frustrating not only for the investigators but for the whole team."
Police said
Lavergne's arrest uncovered some new clues to help in the search. Texas
Equusearch, a Houston-based nonprofit, was called back in to assist.
"Before
we really had no direction in how we were traveling except for the information
we had. Now that we have named a suspect, we have received a lot of positive
information that has pointed us in the right direction," Mouton added.
After the
arrest, police collected evidence from Lavergne's home. Investigators said
processing it will take time.
However,
they remain hopeful Mickey's family will get closure soon.
"What
we're hoping is to have that positive link of evidence that will connect them
directly to the disappearances, other than what we already have. Anything
to help build this case and make it stronger. We feel confident we have
the right guy," Mouton explained.
Copyright
2012 WAFB.
All rights reserved.
Brandon Lavergne (Source: Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office)
Mickey Shunick
