Friends and family of a missing 31-year-old Oregon nurse, Mackenzie Michalski, were dealt a devastating blow when she was found dead days after her disappearance.
Michalski disappeared during a trip to Budapest on Monday, November 4, 2024. Police arrested a suspect identified as an Irish man in connection to her disappearance, and later learned she was killed after he confessed to the crime on November 8, 2024.
A GoFundMe Page, initiated to search for the missing woman, has now turned into a fundraiser to cover the funeral costs. The family said the funds would be paid to the victim’s brother, Nicholas Michalski, so their family could bring the victim’s body home and cover any costs of funeral arrangements.
At the time of writing this story, the GoFundMe page amassed $38,000 from over 450 donors, with the initial goal to raise $35,000. The organizer of the fundraiser, Casey Springer, wrote:
“Casey Springer is giving the funds (at the request from both Jill and Bill's parents) to Nicholas Michalski (brother) so their family can bring Kenzie home and have costs for travel and funeral arrangements along with any costs associated with ensuring justice for Kenzie.”
A Fredonia, New York native and neurosurgery nurse practitioner, Mackenzie Michalski, began her career in neurocritical care in Western NY’s largest academic stroke and research center, Kaleida Health in Buffalo General, in 2013.
After eight years at Buffalo General, Michalski moved to Portland, Oregon, where she joined Providence in 2021.
What happened to Mackenzie Michalski who went missing in Hungary
According to multiple reports, Mackenzie Michalski was on vacation with a friend, who left Budapest for Italy on November 4, 2024.
According to WKBW, concerned family and friends of Michalski reported her missing to the U.S. Embassy on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, after she didn't board her departing flight to the United States and an Airbnb host contacted her family, saying she left her belongings behind.
According to Budapest police, Mackenzie Michalski was last seen at a nightclub in central Budapest on the night of November 4 with a man later identified as the suspect.
On November 7, 2024, police tracked down the 37-year-old Irish man, who was reportedly spotted with Michalski in several nightclubs in the early hours of November 5, 2024.
On Friday, November 8, police announced the suspect confessed to killing the missing Oregon nurse. The suspect reportedly told the police he accidentally killed the victim before leading them to the body stuffed in a suitcase, which was abandoned in the Lake Balaton woods in an area outside Szigliget.
According to the New York Daily News, on Saturday, police said Michalski went to the suspect’s apartment after meeting him at a nightclub. Michalski was killed at the suspect’s apartment a short time later. In a Facebook post, Budapest police said:
“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. 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 cause of death was undisclosed. Police said the suspect identified by his initials, LTM, killed Michalski while they were engaged in an "intimate encounter.”
Mackenzie Michalski's parents express their gratitude to the community for the overwhelming support after daughter's disappearance
Mackenzie Michalski’s disappearance led to a widespread search effort, with several online community members from Budapest and the United States, amplifying the posts about her disappearance in hopes it would generate a lead to her whereabouts.
However, after she was tragically found dead, Michalski’s family thanked the community for their contribution toward the search effort. In a statement to WKBW, they said:
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“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.”
Police have not disclosed the suspect's name at the time of writing this article.
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