A woman was found using a suicide pod with signs of suffocation inside

An American woman who decided to end her life in… Switzerland According to reports, a person was found dead in Sarco’s controversial suicide pod with strangulation marks on his neck.

The woman was the first user of the Sarco suicide chamber. She died on September 23 in the middle of the forest near a cottage in Merishausen, a sparsely populated part of Switzerland in the Schaffhausen region, near german border, as he says BBC.

Reports of physical marks on the woman have not been verified. Newsweek on Wednesday contacted Sarco and the Swiss Federal Police Office for comment.

Sarco’s website states that its development led to “a capsule that can cause oxygen levels to drop rapidly while maintaining low CO2 levels (conditions for a calm, even euphoric death).”

As reported by AP News, Exit International, an assisted suicide group based in the Netherlands, said it was behind it 3D printed devicewhich cost over $1 million to develop.

Sarco capsule, developed by Dr. Philip Nitschke, founder of Exit International, was designed as a painless and autonomous way to peacefully end life for terminally ill people. Its function is to release nitrogen, induce hypoxia and allow the user to lose consciousness and die without physical suffering.

Switzerland has allowed assisted suicideunless the motives are “selfish” since 1942. The Swiss Information Report (SWI) notes that the number of assisted suicides in Switzerland has increased by 11% in 2023, and the British charity Dignity in Dying reports that one person from Great Britain travels to Switzerland for assisted death every eight days.

President of the Sarco operator, assisted suicide The Last Resort organization Dr. Florian Willet was arrested following the woman’s death and remains in custody along with several others while police investigate what happened. As reported by the British news website LBC, Willet was the only person present when the woman died.

According to the British newspaper, the woman pressed a button to fill the capsule with nitrogen at 3:54 p.m “Times”.. According to LBC, Nitschke followed the entire process via video call, but was unable to observe the entire procedure due to technical difficulties.

As reported “Times”., Neue Zürcher ZeitungSwiss newspaper and Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant stated that “the autopsy found traces of ‘strangulation’ on the woman’s neck”, which prompted the prosecutor in Schaffhausen, Peter Sticher, to “expand the scope of the investigation to include the possibility of murder.”

According to a report by de Volkskrantdocuments show this is based on a “phone note” from September 23, hours after the woman’s death.

“During this conversation, the prosecutor’s office heard from the forensic doctor that the woman had, among other things, serious neck injuries,” the Dutch newspaper reported.

However, according to Sticher, he refused to confirm these reports TimeS. Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung also reported that a “person close” to Last Resort stated that osteomyelitis at the base of the woman’s skull may have caused the marks on her neck.

Skull base osteomyelitis (SBO) is a rare and complex infection of the structures surrounding the base of the skull.

The Last Resort and Exit International denied the claims regarding the woman’s reported neck injuries. In a joint statement on Tuesday, they wrote: “Without a full autopsy report, The Last Resort cannot comment on “suspected” neck “injuries” to the first Sarco user.

“In the past, the media reported that the Schaffhausen prosecutor reported that the autopsy was performed on September 23, 2024. Five weeks later, the autopsy report was concealed, including from the lawyers of The Last Resort and Exit International and the people involved.

“The Last Resort and Exit International maintain that Sarco operated exactly as planned and the user died peacefully from nitrogen hypoxia. The allegations of intentional murder are ridiculous and absurd. Last Resort and Exit International strongly deny these allegations.”

The statement goes on to say that footage taken from two cameras, “one internal to the Sarco and one external focusing on the Sarco and the environment,” shows that the woman entered the Sarco without assistance, and that the lid of the Sarco was opened only after forensics arrived on scene .

“The woman closed the Sarco lid herself. The woman herself pressed the internal activation button. The lid of the Sarco was only opened after forensic personnel arrived at the Sarco site at 7:22 p.m. on September 23, 2024.

“In addition, oxygen levels were recorded and can be shown to have remained at lethal levels in the capsule long after the woman’s death.”

“It is assumed that the prosecutor is in possession of the footage and knows the actual circumstances of the woman’s death. The Last Resort has confidence in the Swiss criminal justice system and the rule of law. Last Resort welcomes the transparent and timely investigation and its outcome.

“In early October, Dr. Philip Nitschke and Dr. Fiona Stewart offered to come to Switzerland for an audition. The prosecutor from Schaffhausen rejected this proposal.

Exit International and The Last Resort’s claims could not be independently verified. Newsweek contacted the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs for comment by email on Wednesday.

What do we know about the woman who used the suicide pod?

The woman’s name has not been released. She was a 64-year-old American mother of two adult sons who, according to the report de Volkskrantthey agreed with their mother’s decision to end her life.

The photo taken by a Dutch newspaper photographer shows a woman about to enter the capsule from behind. She is wearing baggy black pants and a beige top and what appears to be flip-flops.

The report said the woman had been considering assisted suicide for two years, since she was diagnosed with osteomyelitis of the base of the skull.

“Due to immune disorders, the woman cannot be properly treated for this very serious disease,” The Last Resort stated in a previous interview with the newspaper.

Dr. Linda Stewart, Nitschke’s lawyer and wife, said in a report that the woman suffered severe headaches, leaving her unable to move or even go to the bathroom on some days.

When asked earlier by Stewart how her two adult sons felt about her decision, the woman reportedly replied: “They totally agree that it’s my decision. And they support me 100 percent.”

As reported de Volskrantthe woman stated that she had previously tried to arrange her death with the Swiss organization Pegasos, stating: “Preparing all the necessary documents is extremely time-consuming. Long waiting periods are very frustrating.”

When asked about her thoughts on using Sarco as a means of death, she reportedly replied, “I just think it’s going to be amazing.”

Currently, assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland, with some 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, contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Hotline by dialing 988, text “988” to the Crisis Text Line to 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.