Warning: This article mentions topics of suicide and euthanasia
There’s been a tragedy following the use of the controversial Sarco Pod, also known as the 'suicide pod'. Designed by Dr. Philip Nitschke in 2017, the euthanasia activist's machine has only been used once.
In 2004, a 64-year-old woman died while using the suicide pod for its intended reason, although things didn't go as they were meant to. Nitschke's Exit International explains how the Sarco Pod is supposed to "produce a rapid decrease in oxygen level, while maintaining a low CO2 level, (the conditions for a peaceful, even euphoric death)."
Despite suicide being legal under certain conditions in Switzerland, there had been warnings that the use of the Sarco Pod could be illegal. Dr. Florian Willet was the only person there when the woman suffering from an immune disease was placed in the pod. Willet was the director of the Last Resort Swiss suicide organization that operated the pods, with his obituary being shared on the company's website.
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He was present when the button that would fill the pod with nitrogen gas was pressed, although there were questions about whether it had worked as intended.
Willet and others, including a newspaper photographer, were arrested. While the others were released, he was detained under investigation.
Prosecutors looked into whether Willet had strangled her amid a 'strong suspicion' that 'intentional homicide' had been at play. This was eventually ruled out, and Willet was released from 70 days of detention in December 2024, but according to Nitschke, the ordeal had changed him: "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."
Willet reportedly visited the hospital twice before his death on May 5. The 47-year-old is said to have 'fallen' from the third floor of his Zurich property earlier in 2025, and after suffering from 'serious damage', he was assessed by a psychiatric team.
Nitschke told Dutch outlet Volkskrant that Willet died in April in Cologne, with the help of a ‘specialized organization'.
He added: "To describe Florian is to talk of a man who was thoughtful, caring, funny, and friendly. He was an easy person to be around."
In Willet's obituary, Nitschke concluded: "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."
If you or someone you know is struggling or in a mental health crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.
If you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.