An American woman who opted to end her life in Switzerland through the controversial Sarco suicide pod was reportedly found dead inside with strangulation marks on her neck.
The woman was the first user of the Sarco suicide chamber. She died on September 23 in the middle of a forest near a cabin in Merishausen, a sparsely populated part of Switzerland in the Schaffhausen region, near the German border, as reported by BBC.
Reports of the physical marks on the woman have not been verified. Newsweek contacted Sarco and the Swiss Federal Office of Police for comment on Wednesday.
Sarco’s website states that “a capsule that could produce a rapid decrease in oxygen level, while maintaining a low CO2 level, (the conditions for a peaceful, even euphoric death)” led to its development.
As reported by AP News, Exit International, an assisted suicide group based in the Netherlands, said it is behind the 3D-printed device, that cost over $1 million to develop.
The Sarco pod, developed by Dr. Philip Nitschke, founder of Exit International, was designed as a painless and autonomous means for terminally ill individuals to end their lives peacefully. It is intended to work by releasing nitrogen, inducing hypoxia, and allowing the user to lose consciousness and pass away without physical suffering.
Switzerland has allowed assisted suicide, as long as the motives are not “selfish,” since 1942. A Swiss information (SWI) report noted that Swiss assisted-suicides rose 11% in 2023 and British charity Dignity in Dying reports that one person from the U.K. travels to Switzerland for an assisted death every eight days.
A photo of the Sarco suicide capsule taken at a media event in July 2024. Questions have been raised after a woman died after using the device.
A photo of the Sarco suicide capsule taken at a media event in July 2024. Questions have been raised after a woman died after using the device.
ARND WIEGMANN / AFP/Getty Images
President of Sarco’s operator, assisted suicide organization The Last Resort, Dr Florian Willet, was arrested after the woman’s death and remains in custody, along with several others, whilst police investigate what transpired. Willet was the only person present when the woman died, as reported by U.K news outlet, LBC.
The woman is said to have pressed the button to fill the pod with nitrogen at 3.54 p.m., reported U.K newspaper The Times. Nitschke followed the process by video call but was unable to observe the full procedure due to technical difficulties, according to LBC.
As reported by The Times, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, a Swiss newspaper, and Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant said that “an autopsy had discovered ‘strangulation’ marks on the woman’s neck,” prompting Peter Sticher, the public prosecutor in Schaffhausen, to “extend the scope of the investigation to include the possibility of murder.”
According to a report by de Volkskrant, documents show that this is based on a “phone note” from September 23, a few hours after the woman’s death.
“During that conversation, the prosecution heard from the forensic doctor that the woman had, among other things, severe injuries to her neck,” the Dutch newspaper reported.
However, Sticher has refused to confirm the reports, according to The Times. Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung also said “a person close” to the Last Resort said the woman’s skull base osteomyelitis may have caused the marks on her neck.
Skull base osteomyelitis (SBO) is a rare and complex infection in the structures surrounding the skull base.
The Last Resort and Exit International have dismissed the claims of the woman’s reported neck injuries. In a joint statement on Tuesday, they said: “Without the full autopsy report, The Last Resort cannot comment on the ‘suspicion’ of ‘injuries’ on the neck of the first Sarco user.
“The Schaffhausen prosecutor has been reported in past media stating that the autopsy was conducted on 23 September 2024. Five weeks later, the autopsy report has been kept hidden, including from the lawyers for The Last Resort and Exit International and persons involved.
“The Last Resort and Exit International maintain that the Sarco worked precisely as planned and the user died peacefully from nitrogen hypoxia. The allegations of intentional homicide are ridiculous and absurd. The Last Resort and Exit International strongly reject these allegations.”
The statement goes on to say that recorded film footage from two cameras, “one internal to the Sarco and one external focused on the Sarco and the environment,” show that the woman entered the Sarco unaided and the lid of the Sarco was not opened until forensics arrived at the scene.
“The woman closed the lid of the Sarco unaided. The woman pressed the internal activation button herself. The lid of the Sarco was not opened until forensic staff arrived at the scene of the Sarco at 19.22 on 23 September 2024.
“Furthermore, the level of oxygen was recorded and can be shown to have remained at lethal levels within the capsule until well after the woman had died.”
“It is assumed that the prosecutor is in possession of the film footage and is aware of the factual circumstances surrounding the woman’s death. The Last Resort has confidence in the Swiss criminal justice system and the rule of law. The Last Resort welcomes a transparent and timely investigation and outcome.
“At the beginning of October, Dr Philip Nitschke and Dr Fiona Stewart offered to come to Switzerland to be interviewed. This offer was rejected by the Schaffhausen prosecutor.”
The claims from Exit International and The Last Resort could not be independently verified. Newsweek contacted the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs via email on Wednesday for comment.
What We Know About Woman Who Used The Suicide Pod?
The woman’s name has not been disclosed. She was a 64-year-old American mother of two adult sons who, according to a report from de Volkskrant, agreed with their mother’s decision to end her life.
In a picture captured by a photographer from the Dutch newspaper, the woman is shown from the back about to step inside the capsule. She is dressed in loose fitting black trousers and beige top and wearing what appears to be flipflops.
According to the report, the woman had been considering assisted suicide for two years, since being diagnosed with skull base osteomyelitis.
“Due to an immune disorder, the woman cannot be properly treated for this very serious disease,” The Last Resort had said in a previous interview with the newspaper.
Dr Linda Stewart, a lawyer and wife of Nitschke, claimed in the report that the woman suffered severe headaches that meant on some days she could barely move or even go to the bathroom.
When asked by Stewart previously how her two adult sons felt about her decision, the woman reportedly said: “They completely agree that this is my decision. And they are behind me one hundred percent.”
As reported by de Volskrant, the woman said she had previously tried to arrange her death with the Swiss organization Pegasos, saying: “It’s extremely time-consuming to prepare all the documents they want. The long waiting periods are very frustrating.”
When asked her thoughts on using Sarco as the means of death, she reportedly said: “I just think it’s going to be amazing.”
It is currently legal to assist suicide in Switzerland, with certain exceptions including “selfish reasons”. In September, chief prosecutor Sticher told Swiss newspaper Blick: “We warned them in writing, we said that if they came to Schaffhausen and used Sarco, they would face criminal consequences.”
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text “988” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.