Witness who watched first person die in controversial suicide pod explains what they saw as it happened

Warning: This article mentions topics of suicide and euthanasia

A witness has shared details about the first death involving the controversial Sarco 'suicide pod.'

The 'suicide pod' was created by Dr. Philip Nitschke to provide assisted suicide treatments for patients.

It works by releasing nitrogen gas into the sealed chamber when the user presses a button. They will then fall asleep and die from suffocation within minutes.

Earlier this week, a 64-year-old woman from the US became the first to use it to end her life.

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As the infamous pod hadn't yet been approved for use, the death led to the arrest of several people involved.

The Last Resort, the Swiss firm behind the Sarco, confirmed the event: "On Monday 23 September, at approximately 16.01 CEST, a 64-year old woman from the mid-west in the USA died using the Sarco device."

Schaffhausen Police have opened a criminal investigation, charging several people with aiding and abetting suicide according to "Article 115 of the Swiss Criminal Code."

The pod was reportedly seized, and the woman’s body was sent for autopsy.

The police added: "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.

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"In addition, specialists from the Forensic Institute Zurich (FOR) and the Institute of Legal Medicine Zurich (IRMZ) were called in. The Sarco suicide capsule was secured and the deceased person was taken to the IRMZ for an autopsy.

Dr. Florian Willet, co-president of The Last Resort Association and co-developer of the pod, is said to be the sole witness to the woman's death.

According to CBS News, Dr. Willet stated the woman's death was 'peaceful, fast, and dignified.'

When the woman arrived, she almost immediately pressed the button once in the Sarco.

The doctor told Volkskrant: "When she entered the Sarco, she almost immediately pressed the button.

"[...] My estimate is that she lost consciousness within two minutes and that she died after five minutes."

He added: "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."