Sarco suicide pod bosses dismiss 'ridiculous and absurd' suggestion US woman's death was a 'homicide' or that she had 'strangulation signs' as her final words are revealed

The creators of nan Sarco sucide pod person deed retired astatine allegations that nan first personification to usage it could person been a unfortunate of 'intentional homicide', labelling nan claims 'ridiculous and absurd'.

The Last Resort and Exit International - nan organisations down Sarco - person insisted that its first personification voluntarily entered nan pod and pushed a fastener to capable nan enclosure pinch nitrogen, triggering her ain death.

They opportunity footage taken from wrong and extracurricular nan pod, which was group up successful a woodland adjacent successful Switzerland connected September 23, shows this, adding coming that it 'worked precisely arsenic planned and nan personification died peacefully from nitrogen hypoxia.'

But nan main charismatic successful nan lawsuit has since raised suspicions that nan female whitethorn person been strangled, citing a speech pinch a forensic expert who was astatine nan segment and allegedly claimed that nan female had terrible injuries to her neck.

Dr Florian Willet, president of The Last Resort, was nan only personification coming astatine nan clip of nan woman's death, and had been connected a video telephone passim pinch his subordinate Dr Philip Nitschke, nan inventor of Sarco.

Willet was arrested aft constabulary arrived astatine nan scene, and has remained successful custody for 5 weeks arsenic investigators proceed to probe nan decease of nan 64-year-old American woman.

However, Schaffhausen Chief Prosecutor Peter Sticher has not publically accused Willet of 'intentional homicide', alternatively utilizing his 'suspicion' to get a judge to widen his custody, according to Dutch newspaper de Volksrant.

There has besides been nary charismatic autopsy study released to backmost up nan claims of strangulation, pinch The Last Resort claiming that nan results person 'been kept hidden', including from their lawyers and others progressive successful nan case.

The deceased female had reportedly been diagnosed pinch skull guidelines osteomyelitis - a disease could manifest arsenic an infection of nan bony marrow, which could person been responsible for nan marks connected her cervix resembling strangulation marks, according to a personification adjacent to The Last Resort who said to Swiss outlet NZZ. 

Willet and Nitschke support that she died from hypoxia wrong nan capsule aft entering and activating nan capsule 'unaided'.

Knowing location would request to beryllium an investigation - arsenic location is successful immoderate assisted dying lawsuit successful Switzerland - they alerted nan police, who they said sewage to nan wood successful Merishausen hours later.

'The lid of nan Sarco was not opened until forensic unit arrived astatine nan segment of nan Sarco astatine 19.22,' The Last Resort said successful a statement.

The woman's oxygen levels were recorded and remained astatine lethal levels wrong nan capsule until good aft she had died, it went on.

The patient said it assumed that nan charismatic was successful possession of nan movie footage which it claims to beryllium its type of events, which it says is corroborated by Volksrant's report.

Volksrant said it had viewed and analysed nan footage shared pinch it by The Last Resort and recovered nary denotation of tampering, though admitted that this tin ne'er beryllium afloat ruled out.

The newspaper besides reported that movie was captured erstwhile location were clear movements wrong nan pod, meaning location are gaps.

It starts astatine astir 3.47pm connected September 23, showing nan female approaching nan capsule on pinch Willet, who removed a greenish tarpaulin from nan instrumentality arsenic she prepared to climb in.

'If you're ready...?' Willet reportedly asked her. 'Do I time off my shoes on?' responded nan woman, who was wearing loose achromatic trousers, a woolly achromatic cardigan and sandals.

He said she could support them on, and she proceeded to measurement into nan futuristic pod, dishonesty down and set nan purple recreation pillow placed wrong down her head, according to Volksrant.

Before pushing nan button, Willet asked nan female whether she would for illustration to speak to Nitschke, who was connected a video telephone from Germany to show nan long-awaited motorboat of his device.

'No. I'm okay,' she reportedly replied. Willet, who was nan only personification coming astatine nan woman's death, took this arsenic an denotation that nan process could begin, Volksrant reports, telling Nitschke: 'It seems that [...] is fresh to go.'

The blonde woman, who said she had wished to dice for 'at slightest 2 years' while suffering pinch a 'very superior unwellness that involves terrible pain', is past said to person closed nan lid of nan pod without hesitation.

A bluish fastener indicating nan unit wrong nan capsule past lit up, while an soul camera showed parts of her hair, but small else, arsenic she laic waiting, according to Volksrant.

'Ready?' she past said to Willet, according to nan newspaper, successful what would beryllium her last words. He reportedly confirmed that he was, earlier she responded 'okay.'

Almost instantly afterwards, astatine astir 3.54pm, she is said to person pressed nan fastener to trigger her death.

Under instruction from Nitschke nan mother-of-two past began breathing profoundly and calmly - a process he informed her would hasten her decease arsenic nitrogen filled nan capsule.

Holding an iPad connected which he monitored her bosom rate, saturation, and oxygen levels, Willet told nan female to 'keep connected breathing'. 

Her oxygen levels - 20 per cent successful normal aerial - plummeted to 0.6, Willet told Nitschke aft a minute, and past to 0.3 percent aft almost 2 and a half minutes.

At astir this time, her assemblage began severely cramping up, Willet said, a communal denotation successful nitrogen deaths. 

While small was visible connected nan soul camera, footage taken externally appeared to show a acheronian spot look connected nan wrong of nan fogged up window, astir wherever nan woman's knees were.

At 4.01 pm, an siren blared from nan iPad, thought to beryllium nan bosom complaint monitor, pinch a seemingly confused Willet reportedly telling his associate: 'She's still alive, Philip.'

He leaned complete and peered into nan Sarco, and aft a while, nan siren stopped.

At 4.04pm, he reported that nan female had not moved for astir 2 minutes. 

It is unclear astatine what constituent it happened, but astir half an hr aft she pressed nan button, Willet described to Nitschke really nan female died.

'She had her eyes closed', he said. 'And she was breathing very deeply. Then nan breathing slowed down. And past it stopped.'

'She really looks dead,' he added.

Willet was among respective group arrested astatine nan segment and reportedly remains successful solitary confinement successful custody.

Due to an immune disorder, nan female couldn't beryllium treated decently for nan osteomyelitis, according to The Last Resort. 

She told really she suffered specified terrible headaches connected immoderate days that she was hardly capable to move aliases spell to nan bathroom. 

The creator of nan termination pod claimed she sewage into nan device and 'almost instantly pressed nan button' to return her ain life.

The pod was group up successful nan woodland truthful nan female could spot nan trees and entity supra her earlier she died.  

'It looked precisely arsenic we expected it to look. My conjecture is that she mislaid consciousness wrong 2 minutes and that she died aft 5 minutes,' Nitschke told Dutch media.

'We saw sudden, mini contractions and movements of nan muscles successful her arms, but she was astir apt already unconscious by then.'

After being notified of her death, constabulary swooped connected nan forest, wherever they discovered nan woman's lifeless assemblage wrong nan pod and arrested respective people.

Those detained were Willet arsenic good arsenic 2 lawyers and a Volkskrant photographer who had been taking pictures of nan pod and documented nan female arriving successful nan woodland, earlier returning aft her death.

The nationalist charismatic successful the Schaffhausen canton said that Sarco's creators had been warned not to usage nan instrumentality successful nan region, but that nan informing had not been heeded.

'We warned them successful writing,' charismatic Peter Sticher said successful September. 'We said that if they came to Schaffhausen and utilized Sarco, they would look criminal consequences.' 

Sticher attended nan crime segment pinch a 'large contingent' of constabulary and forensics teams connected September 23, revealing that nan cognition lasted from early evening until astir midnight.

'We recovered nan capsule pinch nan lifeless personification inside,' he told Blick at nan time. 

'We took nan personification retired of nan capsule and brought them to nan Institute of Forensic Medicine. An autopsy will beryllium performed location today.' 

He said arrests were made truthful that those astatine nan 'were not colluding pinch each different aliases covering up evidence.' 

It is understood that each 4 arrested - Willet, 2 lawyers and nan Dutch photographer - were told that they were suspected of inciting termination and providing termination assistance. Everyone isolated from Willet was released aft 48 hours. 

It is understood that nan 2 lawyers and nan Dutch photographer only arrived astatine nan segment aft nan female died. 

According to Volksrant, nan female who died successful nan instrumentality made an oral connection successful a four-minute signaling to The Last Resort saying it was her ain wish to extremity her life.

The woman's 2 sons 'completely agree' that it was her determination to die, according to Volksrant. 'They are down maine 100 percent,' she is reported to person said.

Fiona Stewart, a committee personnel astatine The Last Resort, said nan woman's sons had confirmed this successful written statements to nan company. 

It is understood that nan 2 sons were not coming successful Switzerland astatine nan clip of their mother's decease connected September 23.

Nitschke announced news of nan pod's premiere connected X successful September, saying: 'An idyllic serene decease successful a Swiss wood wherever The Last Resort utilized nan Sarco instrumentality to thief a US female person nan decease she wanted.'

The pod is designed to let a personification wrong to push a fastener that injects nitrogen state into nan sealed chamber, according to its creators. The personification is past expected to autumn dormant and dice by suffocation successful a fewer minutes. 

The pods activity by replacing air, which is 21 per cent oxygen and 79 per cent nitrogen, pinch 100 per cent nitrogen. 

This renders nan caretaker unconscious and they past extremity breathing successful a process that its creators expected to return little than 10 minutes.

Nitschke and his associates designed Sarco, which is made utilizing a 3D printer, to beryllium free, pinch group conscionable paying for their assemblage to beryllium removed by ceremonial directors.

The female who utilized nan instrumentality only paid nan costs for nan nitrogen: 18 Swiss francs, according to nan Last Resort.

The patient intends to make assisted dying almost wholly free of charge, pinch nan cost, which is adjacent to astir £16, contrasting pinch nan fees of astir Swiss clinics, which usually complaint astir £10,000. 

'The usage of nan Sarco is free,' Stewart said. 'We don't want to make immoderate money from this.' The female did person to salary further costs, specified arsenic her cremation, she added.

The instrumentality was utilized connected nan aforesaid time arsenic Swiss Interior Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider told nan National Council that she considers nan usage of nan Sarco successful Switzerland to beryllium illegal. 

'The Sarco termination capsule is not ineligible successful 2 respects,' Baume-Schneider reportedly said.

She added: 'On 1 hand, it does not fulfill nan demands of nan merchandise information law, and arsenic such, must not beryllium brought into circulation. On nan different hand, nan corresponding usage of nitrogen is not compatible pinch nan article connected intent successful nan chemicals law.' 

Swiss rule allows assisted termination truthful agelong arsenic nan personification takes his aliases her life pinch nary 'external assistance' and those who thief nan personification dice do not do truthful for 'any self-serving motive,' according to a authorities website.

Switzerland is among nan fewer countries successful nan world wherever foreigners tin recreation to legally extremity their lives, and is location to a number of organizations that are dedicated to helping group termination themselves.

Some lawmakers successful Switzerland person based on that nan rule is unclear and person sought to adjacent what they telephone ineligible loopholes.

Nitschke and Stewart, who are joined and person agelong campaigned for nan correct to die, person said that they want Sarco to go an established and accessible action for euthanasia. 

Some 120 applicants dream to usage nan instrumentality to extremity their lives, according to The Last Resort, pinch astir a 4th of those connected nan waiting database said to beryllium British people.

• UK: For thief and support, telephone nan Samaritans for free from a UK phone, wholly anonymously, connected 116 123 aliases spell to samaritans.org. 
• US: If you aliases personification you cognize needs help, nan nationalist termination and situation lifeline successful nan U.S. is disposable by calling aliases texting 988. There is besides an online chat astatine 988lifeline.org.