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Overview

The Sarco Suicide Bridge Controversyalso known as Sarco Suicide Capsule Incident concerns the suicide death of a 64-year-old American woman who allegedly used the Sarco suicide kit on a Swiss forest retreat in September 2024. Last Resort, the company behind the suicide kit, claims that the woman she died peacefully after using the device as designed, but a forensic investigation, revealed in late October 2024, claims her neck bore strangulation marks. Swiss police have arrested several people connected to the use of the futuristic-looking capsule, including the CEO of the company behind the capsule, Florian Willet, who watched her die and is said to be the only one in the room with the woman. The incident gained momentum on X/Twitter, Instagram and Reddit as people began to theorize about the woman’s death.

Background

On 25 September 2024, the BBC reported that several people had been arrested in Switzerland after a 64-year-old American woman died inside Sarco’s suicide pod, a euthanasia device that contains a canister of liquid nitrogen for to die by suicide by asphyxiation with inert gas. According to the article, they detained several people on suspicion of “incitement and accomplice to suicide”.

On the same day, YouTube channel StratNewsGlobal posted a video explaining the first use of the suicide pod called Sarco. The video (seen below) has garnered around 15,000 views and 111 likes in three months.

developments

Intentional homicide investigation

On October 29, 2024, an inquest into the American woman’s suicide raised the suspicion of “premeditated murder” after chief prosecutor Peter Sticher suggested in court that the 64-year-old woman may have been strangled because her body was found with marks of strangulation. Dr. Florian Willet, the president of Swiss Sarco operator The Last Resort, the company responsible for the suicide bridge used by the American woman, was said to be the only person in the room with her. He remains in custody as the investigation continues.

The Sun’s official YouTube channel posted a video about the ongoing investigation (see below), which has garnered more than 5,000 views and 103 likes in a week.

Online reactions

The controversy inspired a lot of backlash online as Swiss police revealed more information about the capsule’s use. For example, on November 2, 2024, user X @Mithra_Is_Fine responded to a tweet about the strangulation marks on the woman’s body, writing “All without nitrogen, hands off.” The tweet (seen below) garnered more than 1,200 likes and 27 reposts in one day.

The incident also sparked discussion on Reddit, as user insomniamax_99 posted a news article about the bridge to the r/europe subreddit, which garnered around 12,000 upvotes and 832 comments in a week.

Search interest

External references