Father of Nurse, 31, Murdered During Hungary Vacation Speaks Out: 'No Reason for This to Happen'

The father of the 31-year-old American nurse who was killed during a recent trip to Budapest is “still overcome with emotion,” he revealed during a vigil held for his daughter over the weekend.

Mackenzie “Kenzie” Michalski was reported missing by friends and family this week after she was believed to have disappeared from a local Hungary nightclub on Tuesday, Nov. 5, prompting a search. On Friday, Nov. 8, the Budapest Police Headquarters said in a news release that it had arrested a suspect in the case — a 37-year-old Irish citizen who “showed” authorities “where he hid the woman’s body.”

The next day, police released further details about the man, who claimed the killing was an “accident.”

Now, Mackenzie’s father, Bill Michalski, has spoken out about the circumstances surrounding her death. During a candlelight vigil held in Budapest on Saturday, Nov. 9, Bill spoke with the Associated Press and claimed “there was no reason for this to happen.”

“I’m still trying to wrap my arms around what happened,” he said. “I don’t know that I ever will.”

Bill, who was wearing a cap that his daughter gifted him, added that Mackenzie had been to Budapest before, calling it her “happy place,” per the AP.

“The history, she just loved it and she was just so relaxed here,” he said. “This was her city.”

Authorities have not released the name of the man arrested in Mackenzie’s death. They said they had “caught sight” of him with Mackenzie in “several nightclubs” before identifying him.

Police added, per the release, that the suspect took the victim to his apartment, where they got “intimate,” before he admitted to killing her.

Budapest Police, which arrested the man this week, explained that the suspect attempted to cover up the scene by cleaning his apartment, placing the woman’s body in a wardrobe cabinet and later purchasing a suitcase which he put her body inside before driving to Lake Balaton with her in his trunk.

He’s also alleged to have made various internet searches about how to dispose of dead bodies and if pigs eat them, as well as the smell of decomposing corpses, the competence of Budapest police and missing-person case procedures.

A GoFundMe campaign noted that Mackenzie, a Western New York native, had last been spotted around 10 p.m. local time on Nov. 4 at Barack et Szilva Etterem in the Jewish Quarter of Budapest, before her friends discovered she was at bar Szimpla Kert.

The campaign has since surpassed its $35,000 goal, and the nurse practitioner’s friends and family also launched a Facebook group dedicated to her search.

After the news of Mackenzie’s death, page admin Mary Eustace, in a post signed off by her friends and family, expressed her “gratitude” for the “prompt attention, diligence, care, and consideration” of local police.

She called Mackenzie — who worked as a nurse in Portland and was originally from the New York village of Fredonia — “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,” Eustace continued. “We are thankful that Kenzie’s soul is now at peace. Her memory and legacy will endure in the hearts of all whom she’s touched.”

“To understand Kenzie’s spirit is to wholeheartedly embrace the vast joy and wonder of life,” she added. “Her wish for the world: fully embrace the present moment, be your authentic self, practice kindness, and always walk in the light.”

Another vigil for Mackenzie was held by loved ones in her hometown of Fredonia on Nov. 9, according to local NBC affiliate WGRZ.

Family friend Melissa Pietrkiewicz helped organize the vigil and told the outlet that she hoped loved ones would leave with “a little bit of peace” as they grieved with each other at the village’s Barker Commons.

“That’s what this is all about, you know, a small community. We look out for one another, we love one another and we grieve with one another when it’s necessary,” Freedonia Mayor Michael Ferguson told the outlet.