Police detain multiple people after ‘suicide pod’ used for first time

The capsule was in development for 12 years

The 64-year-old American woman travelled to Switzerland to die in the specially designed capsule containing nitrogen gas.

The woman’s death was confirmed by physician Philip Nitschke, creator of the capsule and an internationally known advocate of the right to die movement.

The airtight capsule, which is the size of a coffin offers, according to its creators, a ‘quick, peaceful and reliable death’ without the assistance of a doctor or medication.

The woman initiated the dying process herself by pressing a button while lying inside the capsule.

The air in the cabin is then rapidly replaced by nitrogen gas, causing the oxygen level to drop to a deadly level within a minute.

According to de Volskrant, police of Schaffhausen, the Swiss canton in which the suicide took place, detained one of their photographers on Monday who followed the case closely and wanted to take photos. 

The police confirmed that they had detained the photographer on Monday.

In a statement, Schaffhausen Police said: “The public prosecutor's office of the canton of Schaffhausen was on Monday, 23. September 2024 at 4:40 p.m. from a law firm that an accompanied suicide with the capsule Sarco had taken place in the afternoon at a forest hut in Merishausen.

“As a result, the Schaffhausen police, including the criminal investigation service and the public prosecutor's office of the canton of Schaffhausen, went to the crime scene.

“In addition, specialists from the Forensic Institute Zurich (FOR) and the Institute of Forensic Medicine Zurich (IRMZ) were called in.

“The suicide capsule Sarco was seized and the deceased person was taken to the IRMZ for autopsy. In addition, several people were put in police custody in the Merishausen area.

“The public prosecutor's office is also examining the violation of other criminal offences.

“Based on official and investigative secrecy, no further information will be provided at this time. The presumption of innocence applies.”

The capsule, called the Sarco, was designed and built in the Netherlands by 77-year-old Australian doctor and physicist Philip Nitschke.

Nitschke is the founder of Exit International, a movement with 30,000 members who are searching for the best methods for a dignified, self-chosen death.

Nitschke believes the woman’s death is an important step for the right to die movement.

The creator himself has tested the capsule several times. The publication reported that in May he lay down in the capsule filled with nitrogen gas for five minutes with an oxygen mask on his face.

The Last Resort was founded in July 2023 in Switzerland specifically for the use of the Sarco.