PORTLAND, Oregon — Update: Kenzie Michalski was found dead and a suspect was arrested, according to Budapest police. Click here for the latest information.
A Portland nurse from Providence St. Vincent has gone missing while on vacation in Budapest, Hungary, according to her friends and family. Kenzie Michalski, 31, was last heard from in the early morning hours of Nov. 5.
Michalski, who is described by her friends as a seasoned and experienced world traveler, was on vacation with a friend. Her friend left Budapest on Nov. 4 for Italy.
“Kenzi was going to fly home from Hungary the next day but then never came home. Never checked out of her Airbnb, never got on her flight,” said Mary Eustace, a friend of Michalski.
Eustace and Brooke Adams say they have traveled numerous times to Budapest with Michalski. The two were not on this trip, but they said Michalski was very familiar with the area she was last known to be in.
Michalski visited a few bars on the night of Nov. 4, the last contact she had with friends was a text sent around 12:45 a.m. on Nov. 5. Michalski was at a bar at the time in walking distance from her Airbnb.
However, the host of the Airbnb called to report that Michalski never checked out, and never collected her items from the home.
“Kenzie would never, never not make sure everything was good with the Airbnb. She would never leave her stuff,” said Eustace.
Michalski’s friend and former co-worker at Providence St. Vincent, Anna Hoenig, says not being in contact with friends and family is completely out of character for her.
“She is always highly responsible, she is on time for everything, she does not mix words and she always has her phone on her,” Hoenig said.
Michalski’s family is on the way to Budapest to try and find her. They are hoping surveillance video obtained by local police will help lead to clues on what may have happened to her.
A GoFundMe page has also been set up to raise funds for the search effort.