LAFAYETTE – The clerk of court has confirmed that Brandon Scott Lavergne, 33, will go before the grand jury next Wednesday, July 18 at 9 a.m.

Lavergne, was arrested Thursday and charged with the aggravated kidnapping and first degree murder of Michaela “Mickey” Shunick, after she disappeared in the early morning hours of May 19 while riding her bicycle in Lafayette.

Lavergne was initially taken into custody by state police on an unrelated charge of failing to register as a sex offender and would not cooperate with authorities upon his arrest. Later in the afternoon, Lafayette Police gained an arrest warrant on the Shunick case-related charges.

The arrest marked the first time in several weeks that a lead was even reported in the case.

Despite the first-degree murder charge and the police department’s belief that Shunick has been killed, her family continues to hold out hope and continues their search effort with the help of supporters and volunteers in what is now over 50 days since her disappearance.