Swiss police make arrests over suspected death in ‘suicide capsule’ in woodland

Exit International said a 64-year-old woman from the US died using the pod on Monday

Police in Switzerland have detained several people after a new ‘suicide pod’ was used for the first time in woodland (AP)

Police in Switzerland say several people have been detained over the suspected death of an American woman, 64, inside a “suicide capsule”.

A criminal investigation has been opened after prosecutors in Schaffhausen were informed by a law firm that an assisted suicide involving the Sarco capsule had taken place near a forest cabin in Merishausen.

They said several people had been taken into custody with investigators looking at possible incitement and accessory to suicide.

The pod, which had never been used before, is a 3D-printed device that cost more than $1m to develop.

Exit International, the group behind the device, said in a statement that a 64-year-old woman from the US had died using it at approximately 4:01pm on Monday.

It added that the woman “had been suffering for many years from a number of serious problems associated with severe immune compromise”.

The inventor of the pod Philip Nitschke enters 'The Sarco' in Rotterdam, The Netherlands (AP)

The group said the co-president of The Last Resort Association, a Swiss affiliate of Exit International, Dr Florian Willet, was the was the only person present.

“The death took place in open air, under a canopy of trees, at a private forest retreat in the Canton of Schaffhausen close to the Swiss-German border,” the statement read.

The group said it had followed legal advice from lawyers which, it said, showed the use of the capsule was lawful in Switzerland.

Some legislators in Switzerland have argued that the law is unclear and have sought to close what they call legal loopholes (AP)

However, in July, Swiss newspaper Blick reported that Exit International’s lawyers were told by a state prosecutor in Schaffhausen that an operator of the device could face criminal proceedings if used in the region.

Swiss law allows assisted suicide so long as the person takes his or her life with no “external assistance” and those who help the person die do not do so for “any self-serving motive”, according to a government website.

Switzerland is among the only countries in the world where foreigners can travel to legally end their lives, and is home to a number of organisations that are dedicated to helping people kill themselves.

On Monday, health minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider was asked in the Swiss parliament about the legal conditions for the use of the Sarco capsule, and suggested its use would not be legal.

Over the summer, a 54-year-old US woman with multiple health ailments had planned to be the first person to use the device, but those plans were abandoned.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.

If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you