The distraught former boyfriend of an American nurse who was found dead in a suitcase near a lake in Hungary has claimed she was ‘beaten, raped and brutually’ murdered.
Mackenzie Michalski, a 31-year-old from Portland, Oregon, had been on holiday in Budapest when she disappeared after a night out.
Two days after she was reported missing on November 5, police arrested a 37-year-old Irishman who admitted to the killing and showed them where he had hidden the nurse’s body in Lake Balaton.
While the man, who is only being referred to by his initials LTM – as per Hungarian law – confessed, he insisted the woman’s death was an accident.
Now her boyfriend of six years, Kenton Reichen, has spoken of his heartbreak, wishing he ‘could have saved her from this’.
Kenton Reichen said following a vigil for Mackenzie Michalski in the Hungarian capital that he wished he could have ‘protected’ his partner of six years
The 37-year-old Irishman suspected of killing Ms Michalski (pictured) led police to the area where her body was dumped following his arrest over her disappearance on November 7
Friends remember Ms Michalski during a candlelight vigil in Budapest on Saturday
A case recovered after the suspect allegedly put the victim’s body into a new suitcase
The couple had planned to travel to the European country together at the end of October but ‘were in the middle of a break up’ so Mr Reichen decided not to take the trip.
Instead, Ms Michalski travelled to the country with a friend instead, leaving Mr Reichen behind in Portland.
Mr Reichen, who had travelled to the country with the nurse’s parents to look for her, said following a vigil for Ms Michalski in the Hungarian capital that he wished he could have ‘protected her’.
He said: ‘Before the trip, Kenzie and I were in the middle of a breakup. She originally wanted me to go to Budapest with her, but I decided not to go with her, so a friend of hers accompanied her instead.
‘She was perfect, but I neglected her in many ways,’ he added. ‘It hurts me a lot, and I wish I could have protected her.’
While the suspect has claimed Ms Michalski’s death was a horrific accident, her ex-boyfriend strongly rejects this.
He added: ‘Kenzie did not deserve to be beaten, raped and killed so brutally. I wish I could have saved her from this. This will forever be the biggest mistake of my life.’
CCTV footage had shown Ms Michalski and the suspect dancing in a nightclub before leaving together. They then went back to the suspect’s rented apartment where she was allegedly killed during an intimate moment.
Police have not yet confirmed how Ms Michalski died but revealed the suspect had searched online how to dispose of a body, what a corpse smells like and whether pigs eat dead bodies. He also researched whether there were wild boars in the area he later dumped her body.
Suspect at the police station before he led officers to the lake where he had taken the body
Items recovered after the suspect took police to where he had taken Ms Michalski’s body
Friend and fellow traveler, Gretchen Tower, said the group had been traveling together and when she lost contact with Ms Michalski. She reported her missing
Ms Michalski (left) was ‘in the middle of a breakup’ with her partner (not pictured) when she travelled to Hungary.’I’m sorry for letting you down,’ he said in a post on social media
Photos of Ms Michalski at a candlelight vigil in Budapest on Saturday
The suspect then cleaned his apartment before allegedly stuffing the victim’s body into a freshly bought suitcase and rolling it away along with a handbag, clothes and a credit card with Ms Michalski’s name on it.
He then rented a car and drove to the lake in Western Hungary.
The Irish foreign ministry said it ‘is aware of this case and is providing consular assistance’. ‘As with all cases, the department does not comment on the specific details of individual cases,’ it added.
Ms Michalski was last seen at a club in the Jewish Quarter of Budapest after her friends had received pictures from her in the bar.
After that, family and friends were not able to get in contact with her and her belongings were found in the Airbnb she was staying in.
She then missed her flight from Hungary to Amsterdam which was on her route back home.
After learning Ms Michalski had gone missing, her family flew over from the United States to help with the search for her. While travelling across the Atlantic they were informed their daughter’s body had been found.
On Saturday night at a candlelit vigil in Budapest, Bill Micahalski, her father, told The Associated Press he was ‘still overcome with emotion’.
‘There was no reason for this to happen. I’m still trying to wrap my arms around what happened’, he added. ‘I don´t know that I ever will.’
While struggling to come to terms with his daughter’s death, he revealed that Hungary was her ‘happy place.’
‘The history, she just loved it and she was just so relaxed here,’ he said. ‘This was her city.’
Her former partner, Mr Reichen added in another tribute on social media: ‘I fell in love with you while watching the sunset in Ibiza. You broke your ankle and I carried you. You were all I needed in life. I’m sorry for letting you down.’
Ms Michalski was a tourist in Hungary and was last seen at a nightclub before her body was eventually found
Mackenzie’s body was found near Lake Balaton in western Hungary after she went missing on November 5
A statement on behalf of the family was released on a Facebook group set up to find the nurse read: ‘Dear members of our community, we are deeply saddened to confirm a report published by Hungarian police announcing the death of our beloved Kenzie.’
It further thanked the efforts of everyone including strangers abroad and officials across the world for getting involved in helping find Ms Michalski.
It continued: ‘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 humor, positivity, and limitless empathy to help heal her patients and encourage family and friends alike.’
