Who Is Lisa Pate? What We Know Now About Brandon Lavergne’s Second Alleged Victim

When news of Brandon Scott Lavergne's indictment on two murder charges came down Wednesday afternoon, it sent a surprise shock through the community. Lavergne will face trial for Mickey Shunick, who is still missing, and Lisa Pate, a woman who disappeared in 1999 and until now has not been mentioned during the investigation.

But who is Lisa Pate, what's her story, and why has it taken over 10 years for Lavergne to face trial for her death? KPEL 96.5 did some digging and turned up a few interesting findings.

• Lisa Pate disappeared in July of 1999
• Her body was discovered later that year in October of 1999
• Police were unable to determine the cause of death due to the condition of the body
• The body was left under wooden boards in an attempt to hide it from view
• Pate was a mother of two sons
• In 2002, The Advocate quoted Keith Latiolais, with Acadia Parish Sheriff's Office as saying that investigators had a suspect in Pate's death. The suspect was not identified, but Latiolais said he was already in jail for an unrelated offense.

Much about the case against Brandon Scott Lavergne is still unknown, but one has to wonder why it has taken so long for Lisa Pate's case to be heard. What new information became available in the past few weeks that allowed police to finally find a suspect in the Lisa Pate case.

The community hoping for answers following Wednesday's grand jury indictment hearing was left with only more questions and uncertainty in the enthralling story that has taken yet another dramatic turn.