The device, designed to allow a person to press a button that releases nitrogen gas into a sealed chamber, causes the individual to fall asleep and die from suffocation within minutes.
Exit International, a Dutch-assisted suicide group, developed the 3D-printed pod, which cost over a million dollars to create.
The organization announced that a 64-year-old woman from the U.S. Midwest, suffering from “severe immune compromise,” used the Sarco to end her life on September 23 near the German border. Florian Willet, co-president of Swiss-based The Last Resort, was the only person present, describing the death as “peaceful, fast, and dignified.”
Swiss authorities were informed of the event, which took place near Merishausen, by a law firm. Prosecutors have launched an investigation on suspicion of incitement and accessory to suicide, with several individuals taken into custody.
A photographer from Dutch newspaper Volkskrant was also detained by police while attempting to document the event.
Voluntary assisted suicide has long been legal in Switzerland, provided the person ends their own life without external interference. Dr. Philip Nitschke, founder of Exit International, stated that the Sarco had functioned as intended, providing a peaceful death by choice.
However, Swiss Health Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider raised concerns in parliament about the legality of the pod, citing product safety and chemicals law violations.
Switzerland is one of the few countries where foreigners can legally seek assisted suicide, but some lawmakers have called for reforms to clarify the country’s legislation.
