It was not the first time 31-year-old Mackenzie Michalski from Portland was in Budapest. The nurse practician was here with a friend, stayed in a Terézváros Airbnb, ate dinner in a restaurant, and then visited some downtown ruin pubs downtown. That is where she met her murderer, an Irish national. Chilling details emerged about what he did to her.
Kenzie loved Budapest, the restaurants, the capital’s culture
Kenzie’s boyfriend told RTL Klub news that she had visited Budapest multiple times. She travelled to the Hungarian capital with one of her friends to conclude their European journey. They rented an Airbnb apartment and discovered the city. According to Szeretlek Magyarország, they even visited the Széchenyi bath.
On Monday afternoon, Kenzie accompanied her friend to Budapest Airport and then returned to the downtown. She ate her dinner alone in a restaurant, where she spent two hours. She sent photos from there, just like from Szimpla Kert, a ruin pub in Budapest downtown. After she left that place, her phone was turned off, and nobody could reach her again.
His boyfriend said she loved Budapest, the restaurants, and the culture, and was excited to be here. They have been a couple for six years, and Mr Reichen immediately came to Budapest after he learned Kenzie disappeared.
37-year-old Irish identified as perpetrator
RTL News said she met the 37-year-old Irish man in Szimpla Kert and accompanied him to several other pubs in Budapest. The Irish murdered her during that night and took her body out of Budapest to hide.
On Friday, the police said they identified the perpetrator and caught him in 24 hours. The Irish suspect confessed to the crime and showed authorities where he hid the woman’s body. However, nobody knows why he did the terrible deed. The Hungarian police promised to share more information on the brutal tragedy today.
Candlelight vigil to be held today
People organised a candlelight vigil for the murdered American woman in Budapest’s Szabadság Square (Liberty Square) this evening. The organisers wrote on Facebook that “the location will be Liberty Square, Budapest, near the US Embassy. Time is 7 PM CET, which is 1 PM Eastern. The plan is to walk to the “eternal flame” on the other end of this Aulich street”. The “eternal flame” they refer to is Batthyány’s sanctuary lamp at the corner of Báthory Street and Hold Street. The lamp sits on the former location of the courtyard of the New Building, where Count Lajos Batthyány (1807–1849), the first Prime Minister of Hungary, was executed on 6 October 1849.
Kenzie’s friends said farewell to her in a touching Facebook post
“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”, the family and friends wrote.
“Kenzie 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. As a nurse practitioner, Kenzie used her humour, positivity, and limitless empathy to help heal her patients and encourage family and friends alike. (…) Her wish for the world: fully embrace the present moment, be your authentic self, practice kindness, and always walk in the light”, they wrote about her.
They also asked everybody to respect the privacy of the mourning family and friends.
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This is so terribly sad. May she rest in peace.
My sincere condolences to her family and friends.
Crestfallen.
May she Rest in eternal Peace and Happiness – in the House of the Lord.
What a terrible thing to do to this Young Woman. My sincere condolences to her Family and friends .