By The family of Mackenzie Michalski, a 31-year-old American nurse practitioner from Portland, Oregon, mourned their daughter’s death at a candlelight vigil Saturday night, as Hungarian authorities held a suspect who confessed to killing her during her vacation in Budapest.
“There was no reason for this to happen,” Bill Michalski, the victim’s father, told The Associated Press at the vigil, wearing a baseball cap his daughter had given him. “I’m still trying to wrap my arms around what happened… I don’t know that I ever will.”
Michalski, who had previously visited Budapest and called it her “happy place,” was reported missing November 5 after last being seen at a central Budapest nightclub. Police surveillance footage showed her with a 37-year-old Irish citizen, identified only as L.T.M., at several clubs that night.
The suspect, arrested November 7, confessed to killing Michalski during what he claimed was an accidental death during an “intimate encounter” at his rented apartment, according to police. Investigators said he attempted to cover up the crime by cleaning the apartment and concealing her body in a wardrobe before purchasing a suitcase to transport it.
Police said the suspect drove approximately 90 miles southwest of Budapest to Lake Balaton, disposing of the body in a wooded area near Szigliget. Before his arrest, he had searched online for information about disposing of bodies, police procedures in missing person cases, and whether pigs eat dead bodies, as well as researching wild boars in the Lake Balaton area and the competence of Budapest police.
Crime scene photographs released by authorities showed a rolling suitcase, clothing including fleece-lined boots, and a handbag containing Michalski’s credit card at the disposal site. The suspect later guided police to the location.
“The history, she just loved it and she was just so relaxed here,” her father said of his daughter’s connection to Budapest. “This was her city.”
A Facebook group administrator described “Kenzie” as “a beautiful and compassionate young woman.” Her parents had traveled to Hungary to assist in the search but learned of her death while en route.
apnews.com
