58-year-old pretends to be on vacation to family members – two days later they receive a WhatsApp message to pick up her ashes

A 58-year-old woman from Ireland supposedly went on vacation. But behind this facade, she was hiding a completely different plan. Two days later, her relatives learned via WhatsApp message that she had died in Switzerland – and that her ashes would soon be on their way.

Maureen Slough from Cavan told her family that she was traveling to Lithuania with a friend. What sounded like a harmless summer vacation was actually a farewell that no one saw coming. Instead of going to Eastern Europe, she flew alone to Switzerland to end her life in an assisted suicide clinic.

Slough had only told two friends about her true plans, and one of them finally informed her daughter Megan Royal the day after Slough's departure that her mother was not in Lithuania, but had traveled to Switzerland to end her life in a self-determined way. This news came as a complete surprise to the family.

Anxious, Royal immediately contacted her father and they managed to reach Slough by phone. She promised to abandon her plans and return home. However, this was never to happen.

At lunchtime the next day, Slough's daughter received a WhatsApp message from the Pegasos Dying Clinic. It said that the 58-year-old had passed away and that her ashes would be sent by post within 6-8 weeks.

This surprising, matter-of-fact announcement left the young mother, who had recently given birth to a child, stunned, as she had been expecting her mother to return.

"At that moment, I was alone. So I just sat there with my baby and cried ... It was like my world was coming to an end," says Royal. She could hardly comprehend that her mother was no longer alive – and that she had found out about it via WhatsApp message rather than in person.

The question of how this could have happened in the first place is still particularly distressing for Slough's relatives. According to the clinic, there was a letter and an email from Megan Royal herself, which showed her understanding and consent.

However, Royal denies that any such communication ever took place. It is suspected that Maureen Slough herself sent the messages on behalf of her daughter in order to keep her decision secret.

Slough had long been struggling with mental health problems, which were exacerbated by the deaths of two younger sisters. Slough had also attempted suicide in the past.

Her family had always tried to help her, but this story shows how difficult it can sometimes be to talk openly about inner struggles – even within your own family, with the people closest to you.

In the end, all the bereaved had left was a confirmation via WhatsApp. Instead of room for a final conversation, all that remained was the certainty that Maureen Slough had already made up her mind. Later, daughter Megan Royal and partner Mick Lynch received a card from Slough by post, but even this was unable to offer any real closure.

After the ashes arrived, preparations could finally be made for Slough's funeral. Maureen Slough was buried in Cavan, next to her two sisters.

Slough's brother, a solicitor, has since contacted the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. He is calling for an investigation into what happened in Switzerland.

According to Pegasos, although Slough had provided comprehensive documentation on her health and undergone a thorough assessment process, the lack of assured involvement of relatives in the process raises questions.

Following the incident, Pegasos announced that it would be revising its processes in response to the Maureen Slough case. In future, the aim is to ensure that relatives are no longer only informed by email or WhatsApp. Instead, personal calls and additional contact channels such as video calls are to be used to avoid misunderstandings such as in this case.

The case of Maureen Slough brings bigger questions to the table. How much say should relatives have when someone chooses assisted suicide? How can self-determination and consideration be reconciled? And how can it be ensured that dignity and closeness are preserved even at the last moment?

In a world where communication is becoming increasingly digitalized, something as final as death can hardly be conveyed by a few written words. For Maureen Slough's family, this form of communication remains another painful reminder that makes the loss even more difficult

Maureen Slough's story is a tragic example of how complex the issues of dying, self-determination and family are interwoven. It shows that there is a human drama behind every decision, and that it is more important than ever to find ways to make a self-determined farewell not only legally, but also humanly dignified – also for the relatives who let a loved one go.