Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
The initial user of the debated suicide pod reportedly had “strangulation marks,” based on recent accounts.
Developed by Dr. Philip Nitschke, the Sarco “suicide pod” is designed to offer assisted suicide for individuals seeking such services.
Last month, an unidentified 64-year-old woman from the US became the first to use this device, entering the pod and subsequently passing away.
The fact that the pod had not yet received official approval led to the detention of multiple individuals connected to the woman’s demise.
In a statement, Schaffhausen Police stated: “The public prosecutor’s office of the canton of Schaffhausen has opened criminal proceedings against several persons for incitement, aiding and abetting suicide (Article 115 of the Swiss Criminal Code) resulting in several persons being placed in police custody.
“The public prosecutor’s office of the canton of Schaffhausen was informed on Monday, September 23, 2024, at 4:40 p.m. by a law firm that an assisted suicide with the Sarco capsule had taken place in the afternoon at a forest hut in Merishausen.
“As a result, the Schaffhausen police, including the forensic emergency service, and the public prosecutor’s office of the canton of Schaffhausen went to the scene of the crime.”
Investigators are now exploring whether the woman might have been murdered, with chief prosecutor Peter Sticher considering the possibility of “intentional homicide,” as reported by Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant.
Local sources indicate a forensic doctor noted significant neck injuries on the woman, although no autopsy report has been released yet.
The mechanism of the suicide pod does not require anyone else to be inside; the person activates it by pressing a button that releases nitrogen gas.
After pressing the button, the individual inside loses consciousness within two minutes and passes away in about five minutes.
Dr. Florian Willet, co-president of The Last Resort Association, was reportedly the only witness to the woman’s death last month.
Dr. Willet, who also contributed to the development of the pod, described the woman’s death as “peaceful, fast, and dignified,” according to CBS News.
Willet remains detained at this time.
Dr. Nitschke previously mentioned that the woman traveled to Switzerland with the intention of ending her life, asserting that she “really wanted to die.”
“When she entered the Sarco, she almost immediately pressed the button,” he told de Volkskrant.
“She didn’t say anything. She really wanted to die. My estimate is that she lost consciousness within two minutes and that she died after five minutes.”
“We saw jerky, small twitches of the muscles in her arms, but she was probably already unconscious by then. It looked exactly how we expected it to look.”
If you or someone you know is in crisis or struggling with mental health issues, support is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org for online chat. You can also contact Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.