WARNING: SENSITIVE CONTENT Wendy Duffy travelled to Switzerland to end her life – her family claimed they did not know but the clinic says they told the woman’s siblings
14:38, 05 May 2026Updated 14:52, 05 May 2026
Wendy Duffy died as a Swiss assisted suicide clinic(Image: Facebook)
The sister of a British mum who travelled to Switzerland to end her life, after the death of her son four years ago, said no one in the family “saw it coming at all”.
Wendy Duffy, 56, had no terminal illness but paid £10,000 to end her life at at Pegasos, a Swiss assisted dying clinic, after the death of her son Marcus, 23, four years ago. The former care worker, from the West Midlands, had undergone years of therapy and took antidepressants but had been unable to come to terms with her son’s death.
Wendy’s twin sister has now claimed her family found out after her death through the press and not through the clinic, despite Pegasos claims they told the British woman’s four siblings.
READ MORE: ‘My healthy sister took own life at Swiss suicide clinic after son’s death – we were told by email’READ MORE: ‘My son died in secret at same clinic as Wendy Duffy – I just thought he was on holiday’
Wendy’s son Marcus died four years earlier
The twin sister, who chose to remain anonymous, told LBC: “We knew nothing about it, none of us saw it coming at all.” The sister claimed her daughter saw news of the death on Instagram and showed her mother.
She said: “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.”
Wendy’s nephew, Marcus, slammed the Swiss clinic and claimed they did not tell the family before the devastated mum’s death. He said: “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.”
Marcus says he has raised his concerns with both Swiss and British police. The found of the Pegasos clinic, Ruedi Habegger, previously told the Daily Mail: “What I can confirm is that four siblings have been informed. They gave their blessings.”
Wendy ended her life at the Pegasos clinic in Switzerland(Image: Pegasos)
The process as the Swiss clinic involved interviews, forms and submitting medical records as a panel experts including psychiatrists would have assessed Wendy’s case and approved it. Before her death Habeggar said the British mum passed her final psychiatric assessment, a week before her death, and said she was “very decided”.
Marcus however claimed his aunt displayed “clear signs” of depression after her son’s death. He said: “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?”
There is no suggestion the clinic has broken any laws. Swiss law dictates that assisted suicide is legal if it is not carried out for self-serving reasons and clinics must show that the patients condition was long-lasting, treatment-resistant and severe. The Mirror has contacted Pegasos for comment.
Wendy’s son died four years ago after he chocked on a sandwich the mum made for him while he was hungover. Speaking days before her death, Wendy said: “I won’t change my mind. I know it’s hard for you, sweetheart. It will be hard for everyone. But I want to die, and that’s what I’m going to do. And I’ll have a smile on my face when I do, so please be happy for me. My life; my choice.”
Marcus says that while he understands his aunt’s grief, he doesn’t believe enough was done to support her before she made the decision to go to Pegasos. He said: “I understand her loss. 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.”
For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.