PORTLAND, Ore. — Editor's note: Some details in this story may be disturbing.
A Portland nurse who was reported missing while she was vacationing in Budapest, Hungary, has been found dead, and a suspect has been arrested, according to Budapest police. New details about the investigation were released on Saturday.
Mackenzie "Kenzie" Michalski, 31, had last been heard from in the early morning hours of Nov. 5, according to her friends and family. She was originally from New York but was currently living in Portland, working as a neurosurgery nurse practitioner at Providence St. Vincent. She'd been with Providence since 2021.
On Friday, detectives from the VI District Police Department in Budapest reported in a news release that Michalski had been found dead and a suspect was arrested. Friends of Michalski confirmed that information with WGRZ, a news station in Buffalo, New York.
The news release, translated from Hungarian into English, said the suspect confessed and showed police where he hid Michalski's body.
"Teresa City police came into sight of a man with whom the missing girl was seen in several nightclubs; 37-year-old Irish citizen M.L.T. was identified and apprehended outside an apartment in District VII," the Hungarian press release said. "Life Protection Division detectives questioned the Irishman as a suspect in manslaughter, who confessed and showed police where he had hidden the woman's body. He was taken into custody and an arrest was initiated."
On Saturday, Budapest police shared more details about what happened in a news release, saying the man put Michalski's body in a suitcase and drove to a wooded area outside Budapest, where he hid her body. The man drove back to Budapest, where he was arrested.
The man confessed to killing Michalski, but called it an accident, Budapest police said. The investigation showed that the man searched online for phrases — including "What happens after a person is reported missing" and "How do the police handle missing person cases?" — according to Budapest police.
Crystal Suarenzo, a friend of Kenzie's for more than 20 years, described her as "a very, very pure-hearted person. Very pure-hearted."
Suarenzo grew up with Kenzie in western New York before moving to Oregon. She said Kenzie loved to travel and was always up for an adventure. Kenzie had been to Hungary before, Suarenzo said, and said there was something about the country that drew her back.
"Very, very adventurous and brave. She has been everywhere. She's been around the world many times over, and she was always wanting more. She had a real hunger for experience and life," Suarenzo said.
Kenzi loved the intensity and the pace of nursing, Suarenzo said.
"I think she liked getting in there and seeing how it all worked. It was a very fitting job for her," she added.
Providence released a statement about Michalski's death, saying she was a great friend and caregiver.
"The people of Providence are deeply saddened by the news of the death of Mackenzie 'Kenzie' Michalski," Providence said in the statement. "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 healthcare organization also noted that Providence workers have had to cope with the killings of two nurses in the past two months. Another Providence St. Vincent nurse, Melissa Jubane, was killed in September.
Michalski was on vacation with a friend. Her friend left Budapest on Nov. 4 for Italy.
Mary Eustace, a friend, said Michalski visited a few bars on the night of Nov. 4. The last contact she had with friends was a text sent around 12:45 a.m. on Nov. 5. She was at a bar at the time in walking distance from her Airbnb. However, the host of the Airbnb called to report that Michalski never checked out, and never collected her items from the home.
A Facebook page dedicated to finding Michalski that was created by her friends posted an update Friday that read: "We want to thank everyone for the overwhelming support. At this time, we ask that you please respect the privacy of MacKenzie's friends and family and refrain from posting or commenting any information as the case is being handled exclusively by the police."
"I feel like we're woven into the fabric who each other turned out to be and losing that is... I feel like we're missing a whole section of the tapestry of myself without her," Suarenzo, her childhood friend, said describing her as "very sunshiny," full of energy and life. "When she laughed, her whole body would laugh."