Disturbing details emerge after the murder of an American nurse in Budapest, a city she called a “happy place”

Family members of the 31-year-old American tourist he was killed while on vacation in the Hungarian capital mourned their loss when the 37-year-old suspect was arrested on Saturday.

The victim, Mackenzie Michalski of Portland, Oregon, was reported missing on Nov. 5. after he was last seen at a nightclub in the center of Budapest. Police began a missing person investigation and reviewed security footage from local nightclubs where they saw Michalski with a man later identified as a suspect in several gangs the night of her disappearance.

The suspect was arrested on November 7 and questioned by the police, later he confessed that he was the one who killed. A Budapest court ordered him to remain in custody, it said on Monday.

Before the confession, Michalski’s family and friends began an effort to find him, starting a Facebook group to gather tips about his whereabouts. His parents went to Hungary to help in the search, but on the way they found out that he had been killed.

At a candlelight vigil in Budapest on Saturday night, the victim’s father, Bill Michalski, told The Associated Press he was still “devastated” by his daughter’s death.

“There was no reason for this to happen,” he said. “I’m still trying to wrap my hands around what happened … I don’t know if I ever will.”

Police arrested the suspect, who is a citizen of Ireland, on the night of November 7. Investigators said Michalski and the suspect met at a nightclub and danced before going to the man’s rented house. The man killed Michalski while they were “making love,” police said.

“Currently, it is not clear how the deceased was killed and the investigation is still ongoing,” said the court on Monday.

The suspect, identified by the police with the initials LTM, confessed to the murder, saying it was an accident. Police say he tried to cover up his crime by cleaning the house and hiding Michalski’s body in a wardrobe before buying a suitcase and putting his body inside.

He then rented a car and drove to Lake Balaton, 90 kilometers southwest of Budapest, where he dumped the body in a wooded area outside the town of Szigliget.

The video released by the police shows the suspect directing the authorities to where he left the body. The police said that the suspect made an investigation on the internet before he was arrested about how to dispose of the body, police procedures in cases of missing persons, whether pigs really eat dead bodies, and the presence of wild pigs in the Lake Balaton area.

He also made an online inquiry asking about the competence of the Budapest police.

Crime scene photos released by police show a rolling suitcase, several items of clothing including fleece boots, and a small purse next to a credit card with Michalski’s name on it.

Michalski’s brother told CBS affiliate KOIN-TV that his sister, who goes by “Kenzie,” loved Portland and made it her home. She worked as a neurosurgery nurse at Providence St. Vincent, the station reported, and the medical center said its community was “deeply saddened by the news” of his death.

“Those who worked with her and knew her best said Kenzie was kind and loving – a great friend and respected caregiver who lived up to our Providence mission and values ​​in her daily life,” Providence said in a statement. “This loss of a beloved member of our Providence family is extremely difficult, as it follows the death of Melissa Jubane in September.”

At a candlelight vigil in Budapest on Saturday, Michalski’s father gave brief remarks to those gathered, and wore a baseball cap he said he had received as a gift from his daughter.

Michalski had visited Budapest, calling it “a happy place,” his father told the AP.

“He just loved history and was relaxing here,” he said. “This was his home.”

The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs told AFP it was “aware of the case and is providing diplomatic assistance.”

“Like all cases, the department does not comment on specific details of individual cases,” it added.

More than $40,000 has been raised on Michalski’s GoFundMe site which says donations will be used “for their family to bring Kenzie home and cover travel and funeral expenses and any costs associated with ensuring justice for Kenzie.”

Agence France-Presse contributed to this report.