Authorities have arrested a 37-year-old Irish man in connection with the murder of an American nurse in Hungary.
Police launched a missing person investigation into the disappearance of Mackenzie Michalski, 31, on November 5 after she was last seen at a nightclub in central Budapest.
Officers moved to arrest the man at his apartment after reviewing security footage from local nightclubs.
The man was detained on November 7 and questioned by police.
Police confirmed in a translated media release that the man confessed to the alleged murder, but said it had been an accident.
Investigators believe Michalski and the suspect had met at a nightclub and danced before leaving for the man’s rented apartment.
The man allegedly attempted to conceal Michalski’s death by renting a car, putting her body in a suitcase and hiding her in a wooded area on the outskirts of Szigliget, according to police.
He also “tried to remove the traces of the murder; he cleaned his apartment and hid her body in a wardrobe while he went to get a suitcase”.
Video released by police showed the suspect guiding authorities to the location of the body.
Police said the suspect had made internet searches before being apprehended on how to dispose of a body, police procedures in missing person cases, whether pigs really eat dead bodies, and the presence of wild boars in the Lake Balaton area.
They said he had also made an internet search inquiring on the competence of Budapest police.
Crime scene photographs released by police showed a rolling suitcase, several articles of clothing including a pair of fleece-lined boots, and a small handbag next to a credit card bearing Michalski’s name.
Family members of Michalski told The Associated Press she had only recently arrived in the country for a vacation.
After Michalski’s disappearance, loved ones started a Facebook group to gather tips on her whereabouts.
Her parents travelled to Hungary to assist in the search, but learned that she had been killed while en route.
At a candlelight vigil in Budapest on Saturday night, the victim’s father, Bill Michalski, told The Associated Press that he was “still overcome with emotion” at the death of his daughter.
