Police in Budapest, Hungary have shared footage of the arrest of an Irish man who has confessed to killing 31-year-old American tourist Mackenzie ‘Kenzie’ Michalski.
In the footage - which is age-restricted on YouTube - the Irish man is photographed, fingerprinted, and shackled before leading police to where he dumped his victim's body. His face is blurred throughout the video.
The only identifying information police have shared about the confessed killer is that he is Irish, 37 years old, and his initials are LTM.
The footage may be disturbing to some viewers:
Police in Budapest confirmed last week that they were looking for a 31-year-old American woman who had disappeared from a nightclub in the city on November 5.
As part of the search, investigators obtained all available CCTV footage from the neighborhood and eventually determined that the Irish man was with Kenzie in several nightclubs.
“Suspicious circumstances” led investigators to believe that Kenzie was the victim of a crime, police said.
The Irish man was arrested at his rented apartment on November 7. After the man’s arrest, further evidence was found which police say gave rise to the suspicion of murder, prompting the Homicide Division to launch an investigation.
Investigators determined that Kenzie had arrived in Hungary as a tourist. She met an Irish man in a nightclub and went on to visit another nightclub with him.
Police said that afterward, she decided to go with him to his rented apartment in the city's 7th district. They had gotten intimate and he "killed her in the process," police said.
Police said that the man tried to cover up the murder. He cleaned his apartment and hid Kenzie's body in a wardrobe cabinet while he went out to buy a suitcase. He then put Michalski's body in the suitcase, rented a car, and drove to Lake Balaton with the suitcase in the trunk.
Police shared photos, one of which showed a purse next to a bank card with Kenzie's name on it.
Police said the man hid Kenzie's body in the woods, in an area outside Szigliget, and then drove back to Budapest, where he was eventually arrested.
Investigators from the Homicide Division questioned the 37-year-old Irish citizen with the initials LTM as a suspect for murder.
He confessed to killing Kenzie, but claimed it was an accident.
After his interrogation, the suspect also showed the detectives where he had hidden Kenzie's body. He was taken into custody and his arrest was initiated.
The investigation also revealed that after the murder, the 37-year-old man had searched the Internet for the phrases "Do pigs really eat dead bodies?", "Texas woman killed by a wild boar. ", "Wild boar sighting in Lake Balaton coastal towns", "What does a corpse smell like after it decomposes", "Getting rid of the smell of rotting meat ", Budapest webcams", "What happens after a person is reported missing", "How do the police handle missing person cases?", "How reliable is the police in Budapest?"
On Monday, the Associated Foreign Press reported that the court in Budapest said: "At present, it is not possible to establish exactly how the victim was killed and this is the subject of the ongoing investigation."
Originally from upstate New York, Kenzie had most recently been living in Portland, Oregon where she worked as a nurse practitioner at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center.
In a statement shared on social media on November 8, Kenzie's family and friends expressed their "profound and heartfelt gratitude to the US and Hungarian authorities and local police for their prompt attention, diligence, care, and consideration."
The statement 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.
"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. Her wish for the world: fully embrace the present moment, be your authentic self, practice kindness, and always walk in the light.
"Thank you for all of your support and continued prayers. During this difficult time, we ask that you please respect the privacy of Kenzie’s family and friends, all of whom remain thankful for your love and concern."
On Saturday night, at a candlelight vigil for his daughter in Budapest, Bill Michalski told the Associated Press that he was "still overcome with emotion" at the death of his daughter.
"There was no reason for this to happen," he said. "I'm still trying to wrap my arms around what happened ... I don't know that I ever will."
A GoFundMe to help the family bring Kenzie home has raised more than $42k as of Tuesday afternoon.