Mackenzie Michalski’s dismembered corpse was found in two suitcases near Szigliget, a city around 100 miles away from Budapest, after an Irish man allegedly butchered her body
An American tourist was on a night out when she was “dismembered” and had her body parts stuffed into a suitcase.
Mackenzie Michalski, a 31-year-old nurse from Portland, Oregon, had been out partying in Budapest’s Jewish Quarter when she met the man who would go on to butcher her.
Her body was discovered deep in a forest near Lake Balaton near Szigliget, a city around two hours away from the Hungarian capital. Just 24 hours after she was reported missing, investigators arrested an Irish man in his 30s. After questioning, he confessed to killing her while they were having sex, claiming that her death was accidental.
Mackenzie had sent a picture of herself to friends enjoying the night out shortly before she vanished. The investigation found CCTV footage of her dancing with the suspect and leaving the club. She is thought to have travelled with him to his rented apartment where they had sex.
Cops said that the suspect attempted to clean his flat before taking the 100-mile trip to dump the suitcases. They also discovered a number of incriminating internet searches, which included how to get “rid of the smell of rotting meat” and questioning the reliability of the police in the capital.
In a statement, the police said: “They had gotten intimate, and he killed her in the process. The perpetrator tried to cover up the murder; he cleaned his apartment and hid the girl’s body in the wardrobe cabinet while he went out to buy a suitcase.”
A video recorded by the police department showed the man restrained in handcuffs as he showed the cops the exact site he had disposed of the suitcases.
The investigation continues, but cops say she may have been killed during a sex game gone wrong.
The young woman’s heartbroken family are currently in Budapest. In a statement, loved ones said she will “forever be remembered as a beautiful and compassionate young woman who dedicated herself to caring for others and making the world a better place”.
They added: “We are thankful that Kenzie’s soul is now at peace. Her memory and legacy will endure in the hearts of all whom she’s touched. To understand Kenzie’s spirit is to wholeheartedly embrace the vast joy and wonder of life.”
On Saturday night at a candlelit vigil in Budapest, Bill Michalski, her father, told The Associated Press he was “still overcome with emotion”. He added: “There was no reason for this to happen. I’m still trying to wrap my arms around what happened’, he added. ‘I don´t know that I ever will.”
