The American woman who became the first to die by an illicit Dutch-made suicide machine in Switzerland last month was allegedly found with strangulation marks on her neck. Investigators are now probing her death as an "intentional homicide," with chief prosecutor Peter Sticher suggesting that the 64-year-old woman may have been strangled to death, Dutch newspaper de Volkstrant reported.
The woman died inside a Sarco suicide pod on Sept. 23, which is a death machine that causes hypoxia by releasing nitrogen gas into the sealed chamber. The pod had been set up in the woods near a cabin in Merishausen, Switzerland, an area in the country that prohibited the use of the device.
Swiss authorities arrested several individuals at the site, including Dr. Flordian Willet, the president of Swiss Sarco operator The Last Resort. Dr. Willet was the sole individual present for the woman's death and has remained in custody since. He has not been charged with homicide but prosecutor Sticher argued suspicion of homicide to the court in order to get Willet's stay extended, as per the paper.
A forensic doctor determined that the woman suffered serious neck injuries, the prosecutor said. An official autopsy report has not yet been released.
The woman, a mother of two, suffered from yearslong chronic pain caused by skull base osteomyelitis. The condition can manifest in the bone marrow, which could be responsible for the markings found on her neck, Swiss outlet NZZ reported. Treatments failed to reduce the pain, so the woman allegedly sought to die by suicide.
Dr. Phillip Nitschke, inventor of the suicide pod, reportedly watched her death on a video feed. He told Dutch media that she allegedly entered the device and "almost immediately pressed the button" to take her own life. "It looked exactly as we expected it to look. My guess is that she lost consciousness within two minutes and that she died after five minutes," Dr. Nitsche said.
"We saw sudden, small contractions and movements of the muscles in her arms, but she was probably already unconscious by them," he explained.
Police immediately made arrests upon being notified of the woman's death. The investigation remains ongoing.
The woman died inside a Sarco suicide pod on Sept. 23, which is a death machine that causes hypoxia by releasing nitrogen gas into the sealed chamber. The pod had been set up in the woods near a cabin in Merishausen, Switzerland, an area in the country that prohibited the use of the device.
Swiss authorities arrested several individuals at the site, including Dr. Flordian Willet, the president of Swiss Sarco operator The Last Resort. Dr. Willet was the sole individual present for the woman's death and has remained in custody since. He has not been charged with homicide but prosecutor Sticher argued suspicion of homicide to the court in order to get Willet's stay extended, as per the paper.
A forensic doctor determined that the woman suffered serious neck injuries, the prosecutor said. An official autopsy report has not yet been released.
The woman, a mother of two, suffered from yearslong chronic pain caused by skull base osteomyelitis. The condition can manifest in the bone marrow, which could be responsible for the markings found on her neck, Swiss outlet NZZ reported. Treatments failed to reduce the pain, so the woman allegedly sought to die by suicide.
Dr. Phillip Nitschke, inventor of the suicide pod, reportedly watched her death on a video feed. He told Dutch media that she allegedly entered the device and "almost immediately pressed the button" to take her own life. "It looked exactly as we expected it to look. My guess is that she lost consciousness within two minutes and that she died after five minutes," Dr. Nitsche said.
"We saw sudden, small contractions and movements of the muscles in her arms, but she was probably already unconscious by them," he explained.
Police immediately made arrests upon being notified of the woman's death. The investigation remains ongoing.
