Swiss authorities probe death involving controversial 'suicide pod'

Swiss authorities have launched a criminal investigation after a 64-year-old American woman died using a controversial “suicide pod” developed by the assisted dying group Exit International.

The Sarco suicide capsule, which allows users to end their lives without medical supervision, was used in a forest area, prompting police to detain several individuals on suspicion of “inducement and aiding and abetting suicide.”

Authorities secured the capsule and sent the woman’s body for an autopsy. According to Exit International’s director, Philip Nitschke, the pod uses nitrogen to cause death by hypoxia. “Once the button is pressed, there’s no way of going back,” Nitschke said, describing the device as offering a peaceful and swift death.

The case has sparked legal and ethical debates in Switzerland, where assisted dying is legal but tightly regulated. The Swiss interior minister has already raised concerns about the legality of the Sarco pod, citing non-compliance with product safety laws and chemical regulations. Convictions for using or operating the capsule could carry up to five years in prison.