In a heartbreaking revelation, a daughter has shared the shocking way she discovered that her mother traveled to Switzerland to end her life - without their family’s knowledge.
Maureen Slough, a 58-year-old from Cavan, Ireland, told her family on July 8 that she was going on vacation to Lithuania with a friend, per PEOPLE.
However, Maureen confided in two close friends that her true destination was Switzerland, where assisted suicide is legal.
The Unexpected Message That Changed Everything
On the evening of July 9, Megan Royal, Maureen’s daughter, received a disturbing message from one of her mother’s friends.
“A close friend of hers messaged me on the Wednesday night, possibly at like 10:00PM I was in bed with the baby,” Royal, a mother of two, recalled in an interview with The Irish Independent.
“He just replied like, ‘Your mom’s in Switzerland.’ He’s like, ‘You have a right to know. I was sworn to secrecy. She’s there and she wants assisted suicide.’ I was so scared in that moment.”
In a state of panic, Royal immediately called her father, who tried reaching Maureen in Switzerland.
Maureen reassured them that she would be coming back. But just a day later, around 1:00PM, Megan received a devastating WhatsApp message: her mother had passed away.
The Horrifying Reality: A Text Message and Ashes in the Mail
“What was worse was not only did I get the text on WhatsApp, they had advised me that her ashes would be posted to me in 6-8 weeks,” Megan shared. “In that very moment, because I was alone, I just sat there with the baby and cried… I just felt like my world ended.”
The text message, sent by Pegasos, a nonprofit assisted dying organization in Switzerland, informed Megan of Maureen’s death.
She learned that Maureen had applied quietly to Pegasos, paying £15,000 ($20,000) to end her life.
Assisted suicide has been legal in Switzerland since 1942. Unlike euthanasia, which is illegal, assisted suicide allows patients to self-administer life-ending medication.
A Family Left in Shock: Searching for Answers
Following Maureen’s death, her family struggled to understand how she had made this decision without their knowledge or consent.
Megan described her mother as “fiery, smart, and dedicated” but also acknowledged that Maureen had long struggled with mental health issues. Maureen had previously attempted suicide while grappling with the grief of losing her two younger sisters.
“No one’s saying she wasn’t feeling pain,” Megan told The Irish Independent. “Not pain good enough to go and end her life. She had a lot more life to live and give. She was just in a dark time. She wasn’t terminally ill or, in my opinion, ill enough to go and do this and leave our family behind like that.”
The Role of Pegasos
In the weeks following her mother’s death, Megan learned more about the process leading up to Maureen’s decision to end her life with Pegasos.
The organization informed both Megan and the Irish Independent that Maureen underwent an extensive evaluation before her death.
This included an independent psychiatric assessment that confirmed Maureen was of sound mind and capable of making the decision.
According to Pegasos, Maureen had explained her history of mental illness and expressed that she was suffering from “unbearable chronic pain.”
They also shared that Megan had written a letter acknowledging her mother’s decision, despite her disagreement with it.
However, Megan and her family question whether the email Pegasos used to confirm her letter’s authenticity was actually sent by Maureen herself.
Megan believes her mother might have responded on her behalf, casting doubt on the organization’s verification process.
A Questionable Verification Process
“This is all just a confusing story,” Megan stated. “It wasn’t even my email. With anything these days, 99% of things you settle you get a call to your phone. So why is it not like this when you’re about to lose your life?”
She added: “People are saying to me, ‘At least you didn’t find her in a bad way over here.’ Well, it was just as bad to me.”
Megan expressed frustration that after Maureen’s assisted suicide, Pegasos had minimal communication with the family.
“She was in and out in two days and that was the end of their communication with me,” Megan said. “Not even a condolence letter with her urn. Not even a fragile sticker on the box, just bounced around the back of a post van.”
The Family Seeks Answers
Megan’s uncle, Philip, a solicitor in the UK, is now fighting for answers. He has written to the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office in the UK, asking them to investigate the situation with Swiss authorities.
In his letter, Philip criticized Pegasos for failing to inform the family before proceeding with Maureen’s assisted suicide.
“While I understand that Swiss law permits assisted dying, the Pegasos clinic has faced numerous criticisms in the UK for their practices with British nationals, and the circumstances in which my sister took her life are highly questionable,” Philip wrote, according to Right to Life UK.
By early August, Maureen’s ashes had arrived, and the family began preparing for her funeral. Megan shared that they planned to bury Maureen alongside her two younger sisters.
“We’re going to bury her with her two sisters,” Megan said. “I’m still struggling with grief.”
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org.