Local police say they have arrested a 37-year-old Irish man on suspicion of murdering an American woman on vacation in Budapest.
Budapest Police Headquarters said in a translated post on Facebook on Saturday that the man was detained in a rented apartment earlier this week. They identified him by the initials LTM
According to police, the suspect met the victim, Mackenzie Michalski, 31, at a nightclub in Budapest. Authorities said the two went dancing and then went to the man’s apartment, according to a statement on Facebook. Security camera footage showed Michalski and the suspect together before she disappeared on Tuesday.
Budapest police said the suspects allegedly tried to cover up the murder. He is said to have cleaned out the apartment, put Michalski’s body in a suitcase and dumped it in a wooded area near Lake Balaton.
Police said the man was arrested this week at a rented apartment.
Police said the man told investigators Michalski’s death was an accident. Detectives also accused him of searching the internet for questions about whether wild boars eat human remains and how Budapest police investigate missing persons cases.
A video shared by authorities showed the man being arrested and taken to jail, leading police to a wooded area and showing them where he hid the body.
Michalski is a native of Portland, Oregon. “I’m still overwhelmed with emotion,” her father told The Associated Press at a candlelight vigil in Budapest.
“There was no reason for this to happen,” he said. “I’m still trying to come to terms with what happened…I don’t know if I ever will.”
