Chilling new details have emerged in the brutal killing of a U.S. nurse in Hungary, allegedly involving an Irishman who reportedly stuffed her in a suitcase before discarding it near a lake. Mackenzie Elizabeth Michalski, 31, a nurse from Portland, Oregon, was on vacation in Hungary and was reported missing on November 5 after she failed to return from a night out.
On November 7, Hungarian police questioned a 37-year-old Irish man, who admitted to the crime and led authorities to the location where he had hidden her body near Lake Balaton in western Hungary. The alleged murderer, identified only by his initials L.T.M., is accused of brutally killing Michalski.
Grim Details Emerge
The suspect then stuffed her body in a newly purchased suitcase, and transported it to Lake Balaton in a rented car, according to police. Authorities allege that the man made several searches on the internet, including on whether pigs eat human remains, the presence of wild boars near Lake Balaton, and the reliability of Budapest's police force.
Police identified the suspect after reviewing surveillance footage from various nightclubs in Budapest's central nightlife area, where the two were seen dancing together before leaving.
A district court in Budapest said it has decided over the weekend to order the detention of the man for one month.
The suspect reportedly confessed to the killing, claiming it was accidental. According to police, he met the victim at a nightclub after arriving in Budapest in October, then took her to a rented apartment, where he allegedly killed her while they were being intimate with each other.
"At present, it is not possible to establish exactly how the victim was killed and this is the subject of the ongoing investigation," the court said.
After allegedly killing Michalski, the man cleaned the apartment, then stuffed her body in the suitcase and drove it to the lake, according to police. Crime scene photos, as reported by Sky News, show a rolling suitcase, articles of clothing, a handbag, and a credit card bearing Ms. Michalski's name.
The Irish foreign ministry said they are aware of the case and said it is offering consular support, adding that they do not comment on specifics of individual cases.
Horrific Discovery
A Facebook group was created to rally community members, friends, and family in the search for Michalski. Michalski's parents traveled to Budapest in hopes of bringing her home, only to learn of her death while en route.
They attended a candlelight vigil near the U.S. embassy on Saturday, thanking everyone who helped search for their daughter.
A statement on behalf of the family was released on the Facebook group: "Dear members of our community, we are deeply saddened to confirm a report published by Hungarian police announcing the death of our beloved Kenzie."
A friend of Michalski created a GoFundMe page to raise funds for hiring investigators to help in locating her. Over $41,000 has been donated, with funds now planned to cover "travel and funeral expenses, as well as any costs related to seeking justice for Kenzie," according to her friend on the GoFundMe page.
Michalski was last seen at a club in Budapest's Jewish Quarter, where she had sent photos to her friends from the bar. After that, neither family nor friends were able to reach her, and her belongings were found in the Airbnb she had been staying at.
She also missed her scheduled flight from Hungary to Amsterdam, which was her route back home.
The group of friends had been on a birthday trip, shared fellow traveler and friend Gretchen Tower, as reported by WKBW. Tower, one of the last people to see Michalski during their European trip, said that Hungary was their final stop.
"We had a great three days in Hungary. Exploring, eating, walking the city," she told the outlet.
The two exchanged goodbyes on Monday, Tower recalled: "She walked me downstairs out of the Airbnb, we hugged goodbye, we said our I love yous, I went to the airport."
Tower was heading to Italy to visit other friends, while Michalski decided to stay in Budapest for one additional night.
"She was at a bar in the Jewish ruin district having a glass of wine, looked like she was having dinner," said Tower.
The two had exchanged text messages shortly before Michalski disappeared. Tower replied to a message from her at around 12:45 a.m. on Tuesday, but Michalski didn't respond.
Tower grew concerned only after receiving a notification from Airbnb indicating that Michalski hadn't checked out.
When Tower still hadn't heard from Michalski later that day, she reported her missing to the U.S. Embassy.
Despite extensive efforts to locate her from afar, Michalski's family was eventually notified that her body had been found.
