Sarco pod physician stated ‘she’s nonetheless alive’ six minutes after girl pressed button

The mystery surrounding the first Sarco suicide deepens, as pod creator believed the death wasn’t immediate, it has been revealed.

Dr Florian Willet was tasked with overseeing the death of a 64-year-old woman inside the suicide pod which was located in a forested area Merishausen, Switzerland, on September 23.

The euthanasia campaigner is co-president of The Last Resort, the company which operates the Sarco in partnership with fellow euthanasia advocate and founder of Exit International, Dr Philip Nitschke.

READ MORE: What we know about Sarco suicide pod now

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He is currently behind bars as police investigate foul play after a woman, who suffered from a painful condition called skull base osteomyelitis, was found with what looked like strangulation marks around her neck.

Once activated, the Sarco device is supposed to bring on a quick and painless death, with the pod flooding with nitrogen after a button is pressed from within.

However, video taken inside and outside the capsule reveals Dr Willet told Dr Nitschke, who was overseeing the death remotely from Germany, that he suspected the woman was alive six minutes after she pressed the button, reports MailOnline.

It’s understood the woman entered the pod at 3.50pm. Dr Willet asked her if she wanted to talk to “Philip”, to which she replied, “No. I’m ok.” The Last Resort boss then told her to “keep on breathing” after she pressed the activation button.

The internal camera, which reacts to movement, was activated twice quickly, after one minute and 57 seconds, and then again at two and a half minutes.

Dr Willet put these incidents down to her body “strongly cramping”. However, at 4.01pm, an alarm was triggered on Dr Willet’s iPad which was thought to be caused by the woman’s heart rate monitor sounding, six and a half minutes into the process.

It’s reported Dr Willet seemed confused by the alarm, even though it takes time for the heart to stop after losing consciousness.

As he lent over the Sarco to take a look inside, he told Dr Nitschke: “She’s still alive, Philip.”

After 30 minutes, Willet believed the American had died. He told Nitschke that she “had her eyes closed”, adding: “And she was breathing very deeply. Then the breathing slowed down. And then it stopped… she really looks dead.”

Before entering the pod, the American, said she expected her death to be “amazing”.

She said: “I think it’s going to be amazing. I cannot see why this wouldn’t work.

“Scientifically, it makes sense… the experience has been wonderful and easy and less traumatic than I expected. It’s been a great experience.”

For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email [email protected], visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.

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