Latest news with #Merishausen
Sky News
3 days ago
- Health
- Sky News
Dr Florian Willet: Euthanasia advocate dies after being arrested over woman's 'suicide capsule' death
A euthanasia advocate has died after being detained following a woman's "suicide capsule" death in Switzerland. Dr Florian Willet, who was arrested over the first reported use of the Sarco pod, died on 5 May, months after falling from the third floor of his building, according to an obituary written by Australian-born doctor Philip Nitschke, who invented the capsule. Dr Willet was the co-president of The Last Resort, a Swiss affiliate of assisted dying group Exit International, and was the only person present during the death of a 64-year-old American woman in a forest cabin in Merishausen, northern Switzerland, in September 2024. Exit International said the woman suffered from "severe immune compromise" and she was the first person to die using the 3D-printed Sarco pod, which it said cost more than $1m (£747,440) to develop. The capsule is designed to allow a person inside to push a button that begins the assisted dying procedure. Dr Willet was arrested in the Swiss forest and placed in pre-trial detention for 70 days, with a prosecutor alleging that the pod had not worked and the woman had instead suffered injuries consistent with strangulation. Exit International claimed there was "no foundation" for the allegation, and previously said in a statement that the assisted suicide had been filmed and the footage had been provided to the prosecution. Dr Willet had described the woman's death as "peaceful, fast and dignified", Exit International said. Dr Nitschke, who lives in the Netherlands, said he was "pleased that the Sarco had performed exactly as it had been designed... to provide an elective, non-drug, peaceful death at the time of the person's choosing". He added that his organisation received advice from Swiss lawyers that using the Sarco would be legal in the country. Dr Willet was released from pre-trial detention in early December, but "he was a changed man" who lost his smile and self-confidence, whose "spirit was broken" and who "seemed deeply traumatised by the experience of incarceration and the wrongful accusation of strangulation", according to Dr Nitschke. The 47-year-old sought psychiatric support in Zurich at Christmas, but discharged himself from the clinic before New Year's Eve. In January, Dr Willet fell from the third floor of his Zurich flat. "He did serious damage," Dr Nitschke said, claiming doctors had diagnosed Dr Willet with an acute polymorphic disorder brought on by "the stress of the pre-trial detention and the associated pressures". Dr Willet had surgery and went to rehab for his injuries in the three months after his fall. On 5 May, he died by assisted suicide in Cologne, Germany, Dutch newspaper Volkskrant reports. Assisted dying is legal in Germany. Swiss law allows assisted suicide so long as the person takes his or her life with no "external assistance" and those who help the person die do not do so for "any self-serving motive". Switzerland is among the only countries in the world where foreigners can travel to legally end their lives. It is home to several organisations dedicated to helping people achieve this. However, some politicians have argued the law is unclear and sought to close what they say are legal loopholes, with health minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider suggesting the use of the Sarco would not be legal.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Suicide pod activist takes his own life after being arrested for murder of woman who used the Sarco pod he promoted
A euthanasia advocate who was quizzed by murder detectives after the death of a woman using a controversial Sarco euthanasia pod has died by assisted suicide, it was announced yesterday. Dr Florian Willet, 47, was arrested in September 2024 following the death of the 64-year-old woman after police claimed there were strangulation marks on her neck. He was the only person present for the death of the woman, who was the first person to use the Sarco suicide device, which had been set up in a forest near Merishausen, Switzerland. Dr Willet was held when police arrived at the scene and he remained in custody for 70 days as investigators probed the circumstances surrounding the death. The public prosecutor said that there had been a 'strong suspicion' that 'intentional homicide' had been at play. But these accusations were said to have such a traumatic effect on the author and activist that he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital twice before his death on May 5. Exit International Director Dr Philip Nitschke, who invented the Sarco pod, wrote yesterday: 'When Florian was released suddenly and unexpectedly from pre-trial detention in early December 2024, he was a changed man. 'Gone was his warm smile and self-confidence. In its place was a man who seemed deeply traumatized by the experience of incarceration and the wrongful accusation of strangulation.' Dr Nitschke told Dutch news outlet Volkskrant that Dr Willet died last month in Cologne 'with the help of a specialized organization'. In Dr Willet's obituary, which yesterday announced his death, Dr Nitschke revealed that the 47-year-old had 'fallen' from the third floor of his property in Zurich earlier this year, causing him 'serious damage'. Dr Nitschke said he was fully assessed by a psychiatric team during his three-month recovery, who said Dr Willet had developed 'an acute polymorphic psychotic disorder'. He says this had been brought on 'following the stress of pre-trial detention and the associated processes'. Dr Nitschke added: 'No one was surprised. Florian's spirit was broken. He knew that he did nothing illegal or wrong, but his belief in the rule of law in Switzerland was in tatters. 'In the final months of his life, Dr Florian Willet shouldered more than any man should.' Dr Willet had informed Swiss authorities after the woman's death and they quickly descended on the forest. Police discovered the woman's lifeless body inside the pod and arrested several people. Dr Willet was detained with two lawyers and a Volkskrant photographer who had been taking pictures of the pod and documented the woman arriving in the woodland. The public prosecutor in the Schaffhausen canton said that Sarco's creators had been warned not to use the device in the region, but that the warning had not been heeded. 'We warned them in writing,' prosecutor Peter Sticher said in September. 'We said that if they came to Schaffhausen and used Sarco, they would face criminal consequences.' Dr Willet described the death in the controversial capsule as 'peaceful, fast and dignified'. Following allegations of 'strangle marks' on the first person to use the Sarco, a person close to Swiss Sarco operator The Last Resort said she had previously been diagnosed with skull base osteomyelitis. The disease could manifest as an infection of the bone marrow, which could have been responsible for the marks on her neck resembling strangulation marks, the person told Swiss outlet NZZ. The pod is designed so that the push of a button injects nitrogen gas into the sealed chamber, with the person inside then dying by suffocation within a few minutes. Before his arrest Dr Willet said he had 'considered' suicide at the age of five. His father died by suicide when he was 14 years old and he said he was 'completely fine with it.' He added: 'I was extremely sad because I loved my father. But, I understood immediately my father wanted to do this because he was a rational person, which means that expecting him to remain alive just because I need a father would mean extending his suffering.'
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Sarco activist dead at 47: Man who was arrested for murder after a woman ended her life in a pod dies by assisted suicide
A euthanasia advocate who was questioned for murder after the death of a woman using a suicide pod last year has died by assisted suicide, it was announced yesterday. Dr Florian Willet, 47, was arrested in September 2024 following the death of a 64-year-old woman using a Sarco suicide pod after she was allegedly found inside with strangulation marks on her neck. He was only person present for the death of the woman, who was the first person to use the nitrogen gas capsule, after it had been set up in a forest near Merishausen, Switzerland. Dr Willet was arrested when police arrived at the scene and he remained in custody for 70 days as investigators probed the circumstances surrounding the death. The public prosecutor said that there had been a 'strong suspicion' that 'intentional homicide' had been at play. But these accusations were said to have such a traumatic effect on the author and activist that he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital twice before his death on May 5. Exit International Director Dr Philip Nitschke, who invented the Sarco pod, wrote yesterday: 'When Florian was released suddenly and unexpectedly from pre-trial detention in early December 2024, he was a changed man. 'Gone was his warm smile and self-confidence. In its place was a man who seemed deeply traumatised by the experience of incarceration and the wrongful accusation of strangulation.' Dr Nitschke told Dutch news outlet Volkskrant that Dr Willet died last month in Cologne 'with the help of a specialized organization'. In Dr Willet's obituary, which yesterday announced his death, Dr Nitschke revealed that the 47-year-old had 'fallen' from the third floor of his property in Zurich earlier this year, causing him 'serious damage'. Dr Nitschke said he was fully assessed by a psychiatric team during his three-month recovery, who said Dr Willet had developed 'an acute polymorphic psychotic disorder'. He says this had been brought on 'following the stress of pre-trial detention and the associated processes'. Dr Nitschke added: 'No one was surprised. Florian's spirit was broken. He knew that he did nothing illegal or wrong, but his belief in the rule of law in Switzerland was in tatters. 'In the final months of his life, Dr Florian Willet shouldered more than any man should.' Dr Willet had informed Swiss authorities after the woman's death and they quickly descended on the forest. Police discovered the woman's lifeless body inside the pod and arrested several people. Dr Willet was detained with two lawyers and a Volkskrant photographer who had been taking pictures of the pod and documented the woman arriving in the woodland. The public prosecutor in the Schaffhausen canton said that Sarco's creators had been warned not to use the device in the region, but that the warning had not been heeded. 'We warned them in writing,' prosecutor Peter Sticher said in September. 'We said that if they came to Schaffhausen and used Sarco, they would face criminal consequences.' Dr Willet described the death in the controversial capsule as 'peaceful, fast and dignified'. The pod is designed so that the push of a button injects nitrogen gas into the sealed chamber, with the person inside then dying by suffocation within a few minutes. Before his arrest Dr Willet said he had 'considered' suicide at the age of five. His father died by suicide when he was 14 years old and he said he was 'completely fine with it.' He added: 'I was extremely sad because I loved my father. But, I understood immediately my father wanted to do this because he was a rational person, which means that expecting him to remain alive just because I need a father would mean extending his suffering.' For confidential support, call Samaritans on 116123 or visit
