Swiss police in the northern canton of Schaffhausen detained several people Tuesday in connection with the suspected death of an individual in a novel “suicide capsule,” authorities reported.
The device, known as “Sarco,” is designed to allow users to end their lives by pushing a button that releases nitrogen gas into a sealed chamber, causing rapid unconsciousness and death by asphyxiation within minutes.
Schaffhausen cantonal police stated that prosecutors were alerted by a law firm about an assisted suicide involving the Sarco capsule near a forest cabin in Merishausen on Monday. A criminal investigation has been launched on suspicion of incitement and accessory to suicide.
Exit International, a Netherlands-based assisted suicide group, claimed responsibility for the device’s development, which reportedly cost over $1 million. The organization stated that a 64-year-old woman from the U.S. Midwest with “severe immune compromise” used the Sarco device on Monday afternoon near the German border.
Dr. Philip Nitschke, founder of Exit International, expressed satisfaction that the Sarco “performed exactly as it had been designed … to provide an elective, non-drug, peaceful death at the time of the person’s choosing.”
However, the legality of the Sarco capsule in Switzerland remains contentious. While Swiss law permits assisted suicide under certain conditions, Health Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider suggested in parliament that the Sarco’s use would not be legal, citing product safety and chemical law concerns.
The incident has reignited debate over Switzerland’s assisted suicide laws, which allow foreigners to travel to the country to end their lives legally. Some Swiss lawmakers argue that current legislation is unclear and are seeking to address perceived legal loopholes.
This case marks the first reported use of the Sarco capsule, following the abandonment of plans for its inaugural use by a 54-year-old U.S. woman earlier this year.
As the investigation unfolds, the incident is likely to fuel further discussion on the ethical and legal implications of new technologies in assisted suicide, particularly in a country known for its permissive stance on the practice.
