Suicide Machine Shut Down After Death of American Woman Triggers Criminal Probe

Fiona Stewart, Member of the Advisory Board and COO of the "Last Resort", a Switzerland's human rights non-profit association focused on assisted suicide, presents the Sarco suicide capsule in Zurich on July 17, 2024. The 3-D printed coffin-like Sarco suicide machine, can be activated from the inside by the person intending to die, by filling the capsule with nitrogen, which induces hypoxic death to the occupant. (Credit: Arnd Wiegmann/Getty Images)

The use of a Switzerland-based suicide machine is suspended and no longer accepting applications amidst a criminal investigation launched by the "peaceful, fast and dignified" death of the first person to utilize the product.

The "Sarco" suicide capsule is a coffin-sized chamber that allows its user to fill the space with nitrogen gas with the push of a button, resulting in sleep, and within minutes, death by suffocation. On Sept. 23, a 64-year-old American woman suffering from an autoimmune disease used the machine in a secluded Swiss cabin, overseen by Florian Willet.