US woman dies in first use of Swiss suicide pod, several arrested

Swiss police have detained several individuals after a controversial ‘Sarco’ capsule, designed to assist with suicide, was used for the first time in Switzerland, according to a report by CNN. The Last Resort, the group behind the Sarco capsule, confirmed that one of the deceased was a 64-year-old American woman who had been suffering from a severely compromised immune system.

Among those arrested is Florian Willet, co-president of The Last Resort, who was present during the woman’s death. A Dutch journalist and two Swiss nationals are also in custody, one of whom is reportedly a photographer who documented the use of the suicide capsule. The Last Resort stated that the deceased had undergone psychiatric evaluations before making her decision, her death was described as “peaceful, fast and dignified.”

The capsule, which allows the occupant to end their life by releasing nitrogen gas, was deployed in the northern canton of Schaffhausen, near the German border, on Monday.