Lafayette Parish Coroner Discusses Next Step In Investigation Of Mickey Shunick’s Body

With Mickey Shunick's death confirmed by Lafayette Police Thursday night after the results on her remains were positively identified as her by the LSU Faces Lab, the question is, "How did she die?"

Lafayette Parish Coroner Keith Talamo says it could be weeks before they know. "She'll come back to the Lafayette coroner's office which probably would be about two weeks and then she'll go to the Louisiana forensics center for an examination with a forensic pathologist," says Talamo.

Mickey has been missing since May 19. Talamo says the south Louisiana summer weather will make determining Mickey's cause of death and how long the body was in the Evangeline Parish cemetery very difficult to determine. Talamo says, "we don't want to miss anything, no one wants to rush anything and miss a step that could ruin the case." Talamo says they're going to take their time when analyzing the body so as not to jeopardize the case.

(They're looking for) any kind of injuries, natural, accident(al), homicide. They're looking to see if she was hit with a blunt force object, stabbed, shot. They're looking for DNA (and) for anything that can give a cause of the manner of death or link the suspect to the death.

Talamo says they hope to return the body to the Shunick family within a couple of weeks. To see how Mickey's family is reacting to the news, CLICK HERE.

The suspect, Brandon Scott Lavergne, has been indicted for Mickey's disappearance and murder. Talamo says once they have the information, it will be turned over to the DA's office and up to them to release the details.