BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A man is in custody after an American woman who was declared missing in Budapest was killed earlier this week, Hungarian police said.
Mackenzie Michalski, 31, who had gone to Hungary as a tourist, was last seen at a nightclub on Tuesday, according to a translated announcement released by Budapest police.
Investigators have arrested a 37-year-old man from Ireland that Michalski was seen with at several clubs that night. Police said the man confessed to the killing and showed police where he hid her body. No further details about the exact cause of death were released.
Her family confirmed her death in a statement on Friday.
“We would like to express our profound and heartfelt gratitude to the U.S. and Hungarian authorities and local police for their prompt attention, diligence, care, and consideration,” they said. “And we would especially like to acknowledge and thank members of this grassroots community at home and abroad for contributing to such a remarkable search effort. We are deeply appreciative of our Hungarian friends and locals for raising awareness on social media, distributing flyers, offering translation services, and mobilizing a boots-on-the-ground mission to find Kenzie.”
A native of West New York, Michalski worked as a neurosurgery nurse practitioner and lived in Portland, Ore.
Nexstar’s KOIN 6 News spoke briefly with Michalski’s brother, who wasn’t available for a full interview but said his sister loved Portland and made it her home.
Officials at Providence St. Vincent where Michalski worked mourned her death in a statement to KOIN:
“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. This loss of a beloved member of our Providence family is especially difficult, as it follows the death of Melissa Jubane in September.”
This is a developing story.