Nurse from New York missing in Budapest killed on vacation, stuffed into suitcase

NEW YORK — Mackenzie Michalski, a New York native and nurse practitioner who went missing in Hungary this week, was killed by a man she met on vacation and stuffed inside a suitcase, according to local police.

Michalski, 31, was last seen at a nightclub in Budapest in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Her friends said they last heard from her around the same time and eventually grew concerned when Michalski failed to check out of her Airbnb and missed her flight back to the United States, WGRZ reported.

Amid their investigation, authorities “noticed several suspicious circumstances” involving Michalski’s disappearance, according to a translated press release from the Budapest Police Department.

They went on to track down a 37-year-old Irish man, spotted at several clubs with Michalski, who eventually confessed to killing her, police confirmed Friday. He claimed the slaying was an accident and led officers to where he hid her body.

In an update on Saturday, police said Michalski met the man at a nightclub and spent the night going to different venues with him. She then went to the suspect’s apartment, where he allegedly killed her a short time later.

“The perpetrator then tried to cover up the murder; so he cleaned his apartment and hid the girl’s body in the wardrobe cabinet while he went out to buy a suitcase,” Budapest police said. “He then put the victim’s body in the suitcase, rented a car and drove to Lake Balaton with the suitcase in the trunk.”

The suspect hid her remains in a wooded area, roughly 100 miles outside of Budapest, and then drove back to the city, according to police.

After taking the man into custody, police said a subsequent search of his electronics revealed disturbing online searches including, “Removing the odor of rotting flesh,” “Do pigs really eat dead bodies?” and “Wild boar appears in the settlements on the coast of Lake Balaton.”

Michalski’s family confirmed her death in a statement to WIVB on Friday, remembering her as “a beautiful and compassionate young woman who dedicated herself to caring for others.” They also expressed their “heartfelt gratitude” for everyone who contributed to the search for the missing nurse and “for raising awareness on social media, distributing fliers, offering translation services, and mobilizing a boots-on-the-ground mission to find Kenzie.”

A Fredonia, New York native, Michalski worked for several years at Buffalo General before relocating to Portland, Oregon, where she worked as a neurosurgery nurse practitioner at Providence St. Vincent.

“Those who worked with her and knew her best say Kenzie was kind and loving — a great friend and a valued caregiver who lived out our Providence mission and values in her daily life,” the medical center said in a statement.

The U.S. State Department confirmed they’re working with the U.S. Embassy in Budapest and local police to bring the man to justice.