A 37-year-old Irish man has been arrested in connection with the murder of an American nurse in Hungary, police say.
Officers said the suspect was identified through CCTV footage and later confessed to killing Ms Michalski, but claimed her death had been an accident.
Officers said Ms Michalski was killed during an “intimate encounter” with the suspect, but did not provide any further details.
After being questioned, the suspect showed detectives where he had disposed of Ms Michalski’s body, the police statement said.
Following Ms Michalski’s disappearance, the man made a series of online searches – including “what does a dead body smell like after it decomposes?
The murder of an American nurse in Hungary has led to the arrest of a 37-year-old Irish man, according to authorities.
Portland, Oregon resident Mackenzie Michalski, 31, was reported missing Tuesday following a night out in Budapest, the capital of Hungary.
After identifying himself from CCTV footage, the suspect admitted to killing Ms. Michalski, but the police said her death was an accident.
The man rented a car, put Ms. Michalski’s body in a suitcase, and concealed it in woodland close to the village of Szigliget in the west of the country, according to a statement released by the police on Saturday.
Despite not giving any additional information, officers claimed that Ms. Michalski was killed during an “intimate encounter” with the suspect.
The two had met at a nightclub, danced together, and then made their way to the man’s rented apartment, they demonstrated.
There, he was taken into custody on Thursday night and is currently being held on remand.
The police statement stated that the suspect showed detectives where he had disposed of Ms. Michalski’s body after being questioned.
While cleaning his apartment to “remove traces” of the alleged murder, the man allegedly put the nurse’s body in a wardrobe before heading to the woods, according to the report.
When Ms. Michalski did not return to their lodging, friends filed a missing persons report.
According to the police, they found evidence that “gave rise to the suspicion of murder” during their enquiry.
The man searched the internet for several things after Ms. Michalski vanished, such as “how do the police handle missing person cases?” “what does a dead body smell like after it decomposes?” and “removing rotting meat smell.”.
According to reports, he also looked into the presence of wild boar near Lake Balaton, a body of water close to Szigliget, and whether pigs consume dead bodies.
A handcuffed man is seen leading officers through a forest in video that Hungarian police have released. There are forensic investigators and sniffer dogs on hand.
The 31-year-old was known by the nickname Kenzie, according to a Facebook group called Find Mackenzie Michalski.
Her friends gathered near the US embassy in Budapest on Saturday for a candlelight vigil.
