First person to use controversial suicide capsule reportedly ‘found with strangulation marks’ – World News

Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide that some readers may find distressing

The first person to use the controversial suicide capsule was reportedly “found with strangulation marks.”

Created by Dr. Philip Nitschke, the Sarco ‘suicide capsule’ was created to provide assisted suicide treatments for patients.

It was first used last month on an unidentified 64-year-old woman from the US, who entered the machine and subsequently died.

However, the pod had yet to be approved for use, leading to the arrest of several people over the woman’s death.

A statement from Schaffhausen Police read: “The Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Canton of Schaffhausen has opened criminal proceedings against several persons for inciting, aiding and abetting suicide (Article 115 of the Swiss Criminal Code), with the result that several persons in have been placed in police custody.

“The Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Canton of Schaffhausen was informed by a law firm on Monday, September 23, 2024 at 4:40 PM that assisted suicide with the Sarco capsule had taken place in the afternoon in a forest hut in Merishausen.

“As a result, the Schaffhausen police, including the forensic emergency service, and the Schaffhausen canton public prosecutor’s office went to the scene of the crime.”

Those investigating the case are now investigating whether the woman could have been murdered, with chief prosecutor Peter Sticher raising the possibility of ‘intentional murder’, according to a report by de Volkskrant.

According to local reports, a forensic doctor stated that the woman had suffered serious neck injuries, although no autopsy report has been released so far.

UNILAD has contacted The Last Resort for comment.

The suicide capsule does not involve anyone else being inside, with the user pressing a button inside that uses nitrogen gas.

Once that button is pressed, the person in the capsule becomes unconscious within two minutes and dies within about five minutes.

Co-president of The Last Resort Association, Dr. Florian Willet, would be the only witness to the woman’s death last month.

The doctor, who also co-developed the pod, stated that the individual’s death was “peaceful, swift and dignified,” according to CBS News.

Willet remains in custody to this day.

Dr. Nitschke previously said the woman traveled to Switzerland to end her life, with the creator claiming she “really wanted to die.”

“When she walked into the Sarco, she pressed the button almost immediately,” he says told de Volkskrant.

‘She didn’t say anything. She really wanted to die. I estimate that she lost consciousness within two minutes and died after five minutes.

“We saw small, jerky twitches in her arms, but she was probably already unconscious. It looked exactly as we expected.”

If you or someone you know is in trouble or in a mental health crisis, help is available at Mental Health America. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741