An American woman who is believed to be the first person to die inside a controversial “suicide pod” in a Swiss forest was found with marks around her neck resembling strangulation injuries, according to a prosecutor’s statement.

The woman, then 64, allegedly traveled to Switzerland with the intention of using the so-called Sarco pod, a capsule that replaces oxygen inside the pod with nitrogen to induce death by hypoxia.

The capsule, introduced in 2019, allows individuals to initiate the process themselves by pressing a button, thereby eliminating the need for medical supervision.

However, a forensic investigation showed neck injuries on the woman that resembled strangulation, raising questions about the cause of death, the Mirror reports. The woman was reported to have been suffering from Osteomyelitis, a serious infection that can damage bones and potentially cause similar marks, the UK paper reported.

Upon discovery of her body in a forest hut at the Schaffhausen canton, several individuals were detained and are now under criminal investigation for their alleged involvement. The president of the Last Resort, the assisted dying organization behind the Sarco pod, Dr. Florian Willet, was present during the incident and is now under scrutiny.

Chief prosecutor Peter Sticher has expressed concerns over a possible “international homicide” and is pushing for extended custody of those involved, though an official autopsy supporting these claims has yet to be released. Despite the lack of concrete evidence, the case is drawing significant attention due to Switzerland’s legal stance on euthanasia.

The inventor of the Sarco pod, Philip Nitschke, who witnessed the event via video, said, “When she entered the Sarco, she almost immediately pressed the button. She didn’t say anything. She really wanted to die.”