May 8, 2026
More Family Fury at Pegasos
‘How was she allowed to die?’ Family’s fury after ‘healthy’ woman died by euthanasia at Swiss clinic – as they call in police
Wendy’s devastated family are demanding answers after finding out about her death over social media and thinking it was ‘fake’
Wendy Duffy ended her life at Pegasos assisted dying clinic in Switzerland after struggling to cope with the death of her son.
The family of a woman who died at a euthanasia clinic in Switzerland while struggling to cope after the death of her son are outraged that she was allowed to go through with the procedure.
Wendy Duffy, 56, a former care worker from the West Midlands, paid £10,000 to end her life at Pegasos in Switzerland, after the death of her 23-year-old son, Marcus, four years ago.
Pegasos claims that they spoke to Wendy’s four siblings – claims which her family say are false.
Wendy’s twin sister, who has chosen to remain anonymous, told LBC: “We knew nothing about it, none of us saw it coming at all.”
Wendy’s sister says she learned of her death in the same way the rest of the world did – through the press.
She explains, “My daughter saw it on Instagram and phoned me to say, ‘Mum, have you seen this?’ and I was like, ‘What the hell’s going on? What is this? This has got to be fake.”
The death of Wendy’s son had left her “heartbroken”, but her sister says she had “no idea that she was thinking about doing anything like this”.
“If I’d have known, I would have been straight down to Birmingham, and I would have stopped her. I would have done everything in my power; I would have held on with both arms.”
Marcus, Wendy’s nephew, says, “Pegasos claimed they consulted family members as part of the decision-making process and spoke to all four siblings. This never took place. No one was contacted.”
Wendy’s nephew says he has raised his concerns with both the Swiss and British police.
Ruedi Habegger, the clinic’s founder, told the Daily Mail: “What I can confirm is that four siblings have been informed. They gave their blessings.
Wendy’s application for voluntary assisted dying was approved after months of assessments by a panel of experts, including a psychiatric assessment to deem her “of sound mind”.
This assessment has been contested by Marcus, who claims that Wendy was displaying “clear signs” of depression following the death of her son.
“In this case, Pegasos has taken a completely healthy 56-year-old woman, and not disqualified her on behalf of those mental health issues. How can someone, by virtue of suffering from depression and suicidal thoughts, be deemed of sound mind?” he says.
Wendy’s son, also named Marcus, died four years ago after choking on a tomato in a sandwich she made for him while he was hungover.
Whilst he understands the grief, Marcus says he doesn’t believe that enough was done to support Wendy before she made the decision to go to Pegasos.
“I understand her loss,” he says. “I don’t blame her for doing what she did. She was suffering from a mental health episode, but, because of that, she should have been disqualified by Pegasos.”
Whilst there is no there is no suggestion that the clinic has broken Swiss law, the clinic has been met with criticism over recent years after it emerged that they assisted two individuals in dying without informing their families.
In 2025, a 51-year-old woman from Wales, referred to as Anne, died in the Basel-based clinic without her family’s knowing.
Anne reportedly had no terminal illnesses but chose to end her life after the death of her son resulted in her suffering from depression, according to ITV.
The death of 47-year-old Alistair Hamilton occurred under similar circumstances, and due to the backlash that followed, Pegasos pledged to revise its practices.
This comes as the assisted dying bill, which looks to legalise euthanasia for terminally ill adults in the UK, moves through parliament.
The bill has been met with backlash from anti-euthanasia campaigners, who Marcus fears the consequences from if it is believed that he gave Wendy his “blessing”.
Marcus explains: “The issue is the level of threat that Pegasos has indirectly opened the family up to, by insinuating that my family gave our blessings.”
LBC reached out to Pegasos and they said they are unable to respond to Wendy’s family’s claims due to medical confidentiality, but “only accept unaccompanied applicants with living family members if they provide us with copies of their next of kin’s passport, and allow us to meet them in a video call.”
The clinic says it is “committed” to helping adults “capable of judgment can exercise their right to a self-determined death in dignity”, and has always complied with Swiss law.
Pegasos maintains that they “always” ask for medical and psychiatric reports, and have patients speak to doctors or psychiatrists during the application process. These confidential conversations, they say, “are also used to clarify whether a voluntary assisted death is the only and last option for the person concerned, and “due to this, some people reconsider their decision”.
Patients are interviewed once again the day before the procedure, and only if the doctor confirms that the person is “capable of judgement”, can the assisted death take place.
“We are very conscious of our great responsibility not only to our patients, but also their loved ones”, the clinic added.
Since Wendy’s death, her sister says she has tried to reach the clinic on multiple occasions looking for answers.
In correspondence she received, Pegasos offered it’s condolensces, describing Wendy as a “very special woman, full of love and joy, although suffering terribly on the inside.”
A spokesperson from the clinic added: “She left this life full of joy and smiles, in the belief that Marcus would be waiting for her on the other side”.