Dr Florian Willet, 47, a German euthanasia activist and head of the Swiss right-to-die organisation The Last Resort, has died by suicide, according to BBC. His death follows a prolonged legal investigation into the assisted death of a 64-year-old American woman who utilised a "Sarco" euthanasia pod in Switzerland.
Willet was arrested in September 2024 and detained for 70 days on suspicion of inciting and assisting suicide. Although allegations of strangulation were dismissed, the investigation continued, deeply affecting Willet's mental health.
The Sarco pod, designed to induce a peaceful death through nitrogen gas inhalation, remains under scrutiny, and its use has been suspended pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation.
The pod's inventor, Philip Nitschke, told BBC News that Dr Willet died by assisted suicide in Germany.
In a separate statement, Mr Nitschke said Dr Willet had suffered psychological trauma following his arrest and detention in connection with the Switzerland death.
The Sarco pod
Photo Credit: AFP
"In the final months of his life, Dr Florian Willet shouldered more than any man should," he said.
The Last Resort - an assisted dying organisation founded by Dr Willet to facilitate the use of the pod - said the arrest had left him "broken".
The activist was held in pre-trial detention for 70 days while police investigated whether he had intentionally killed the woman - an allegation he was not charged with.
Prior to his death on 5 May, Dr Willet fell from a third-floor window, the group said, leaving him requiring surgery and needing to be "cared for by a full psychiatric team".
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