Death is swift for some people who pass peacefully. But to others, it can be painful, and a mystery.
This is why to the living, it's not how fast death happened to a deceased that matters to them, but the way how the death happened that can make headlines.
Mackenzie Michalski, a nurse practitioner from Portland, Oregon, was first reported missing on November 5th after she was last seen in a nightclub in central Budapest. At the time, the U.S. citizen was a tourist visiting Hungary, and was allegedly enjoying a night out, and a one-night stand with a man.
When the police launched a missing investigation, and later, reviewed security footage from the nightclub she was last seen, the police managed to identify the man who later becomes the suspect.
Hungary's nightlife, especially in Budapest, is vibrant and dynamic. And this fact has drawn many people from all over the world.
Locals, as well as tourists, can expect to experience Budapest's ruin bars, which are iconic and a major part of its nightlife appeal. These eclectic bars are set in abandoned buildings and decorated with mismatched furniture, neon lights, and quirky art. Then, there are rooftop bars and river cruises, thermal baths, underground clubs and more.
Not to mention, there plenty of cocktail bars and wine bars, theaters, jazz clubs, and cultural nights.
Hungary’s nightlife offers an impressive mix of relaxation, excitement, and cultural charm.
And Mackenzie was one of those people.
It all began when Mackenzie, a Fredonia, New York native, had been on a trip through Europe with her friend Gretchen Tower.
However, the pair split when Tower went to Italy while the nurse planned to have one more trip, with an idea to spend one night in Budapest.
She was seeking pleasure during her stay at the Hungary’s capital, until someone abruptly ended her life.
Mackenzie had been visiting one nightclub after another with a man who was later identified by Budapest police as the prime suspect—a 37-year-old Irish national.
Her friend, Tower, first reported Mackenzie missing after realizing she hadn’t checked out of her Airbnb or caught her return flight.
Concerned, Tower reached out to the U.S. Embassy for help. Alongside the police investigation, Mackenzie’s family and friends launched their own search efforts, creating a Facebook group and starting a GoFundMe campaign to gather tips on her whereabouts.
When police managed to trace Mackenzie’s last known location and identified the man she’d been with, he confessed to killing her.
The police officers who arrested the man in front of his apartment and interrogated him as a suspect, were he "showed" them the place "where he hid the woman's body."
"The Terezvaros police spotted a man with whom the missing girl was seen in multiple nightclubs; he was identified [and] the 37 year old MLT Irish citizen was apprehended outside an apartment in the district," a police statement reads.
The man, who was not initially named, said that he killed Mackenzie when they were engaged in an "intimate encounter."
Intimacy after a night out often happens for a few reasons, many of which are caused by the blend of psychology, social dynamics, and the effects of alcohol:
People often use nightlife as an escape from daily life stresses, letting go of responsibilities for the evening. And socializing, and the upbeat energy of nightlife can create a natural high. And alcohol amplifies it.
Additionally, nightlife often carries a social expectation that a fun night may culminate in some form of romantic or sexual encounter.
As a tourist in a foreign country, Mackenzie may have seen her night out as a form of escapism, embracing a “living in the moment” mindset.
This might explain why she didn’t hesitate to accept the man’s invitation to his apartment, even though they had only just met that night.
But instead of having what she expected, she was gruesomely killed.
According to the man who confessed to the killing, he said that the murder happened by accident.
The suspect allegedly attempted to conceal the murder by hiding evidence of the criminal by cleaning up his rented apartment, and hiding Mackenzie's body in a wardrobe, before transferring it to a newly-purchased suitcase.
The suspect then rented a vehicle and drove about 150 kilometers to Lake Balaton, which is a freshwater lake in western Hungary.
He then disposed of the suitcase in the forested area near Szigliget, a village in Veszprém county.
Cementing the suspect as the killer, the authorities also allegedly discovered internet searches made by the suspect about corpse disposal.
The searches included, "Do pigs really eat dead bodies?" and "Texas woman killed by a wild boar."
Other searches included information on wild boar populations near Lake Balaton, police protocols for handling missing persons cases, and several others—all of which pointed to the suspect as the killer.
"The history, she just loved it, and she was just so relaxed here. This was her city," said Bill Michalski, the victim's father, in a heartbreaking candlelight vigil held in Budapest.
"There was no reason for this to happen. I'm still trying to wrap my arms around what happened [...] I don't know that I ever will," he continued, struggling with the tragic loss.
Michalski had found a special connection with Budapest, a place her father described as her "happy place."
Michalski started her nurse practitioner career in neurocritical care in Western NY’s largest academic stroke and research center.
She also has years of surgical ICU and medical ICU experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. It's said that when not working, Mackenzie enjoyed soccer and spending time with her dog.
